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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: season · file · bulb · pitcher · net · plane · kid · stick

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. net — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. kid — to tease
  13. net — after costs
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. file — a tool
  16. kid — child
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bulb — for light

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