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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · file · mouse · bark · spring · pound · fan · pass

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pound — a weight
  13. ball — a great time
  14. file — a document
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ball — a dance

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