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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · wind · pop · spring · bound · press · sharp · board

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pop — soda
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. press — to push
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — obliged
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bound — certain
  14. spring — of water
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wind — moving air
  17. board — a committee
  18. pop — music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — the season
  23. board — to get on
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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