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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: saw · pitch · kid · spring · shower · straw · bulb · hide

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. kid — child
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. spring — the season
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — to tease
  24. shower — to wash

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