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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.

Make a worksheet

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: date · bulb · saw · chest · clip · hide · pitcher · fork

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bulb — for light
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chest — a box
  15. clip — to cut
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. date — the fruit
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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