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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: file · sharp · row · spring · wave · branch · wind · pound

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. pound — a weight
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. file — a document
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. sharp — clever
  16. row — a line
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. file — a tool
  24. branch — a division

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