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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · bass · cabinet · nail · fork · pitch · rush · bulb

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. chest — a box
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bass — low music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com