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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
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: leaves · pound · kick · pitcher · file · bass · spring · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bass — the fish
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. file — a tool
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. file — a document
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — of water
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bass — low music
  18. kick — in football
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. file — a line of people
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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