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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. file — a document
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. file — a line of people
  9. staff — a stick
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. field — for sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bear — the animal
  16. board — a committee
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. spring — the season
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. board — to get on

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