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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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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: chip · tear · pound · spring · fine · club

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. chip — to eat
  8. club — for dancing
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fine — all right
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. spring — the season
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pound — a weight
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty

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