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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.

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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: pitcher · bulb · saw · bass · fork · march · nail · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — for light
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — a lid
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bass — low music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the fish
  24. nail — on a finger

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