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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: stick · craft · wound · chest · pitch · bore · file · bulb

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. craft — boats
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a document
  8. wound — an injury
  9. file — a tool
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a line of people
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chest — a box

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