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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 116 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: spring · hand · safe · mouse · pitch · march · perch · bulb

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. hand — help
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitch — completely
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. march — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. march — the month
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bulb — for light
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. march — the month

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