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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: kid · bulb · file · chair · bank · pound · ground · squash

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. file — a document
  3. bank — of a river
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. ground — a position
  11. file — a line of people
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. file — a tool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — child
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bank — for money
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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