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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: fan · bulb · hide · bear · saw · bat · kid · staff

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. staff — employees
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bat — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — child
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. saw — the tool

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