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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.

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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: spring · press · suit · chip · deal · file · mine · fan

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. file — a tool
  5. deal — to handle
  6. file — a line of people
  7. press — to push
  8. spring — of water
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. file — a document
  14. suit — in cards
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. press — newspapers
  19. suit — to fit
  20. spring — the season
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spring — a coil

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