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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · bat · hide · kick · bulb · row · mine · pitcher

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kick — in football
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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