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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 116 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: pound · charge · mine · spring · net · ball · bulb · game

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bulb — for light
  3. net — in sport
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. charge — in control
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. game — a match
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — the season
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. spring — of water
  22. ball — a dance
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mine — belonging to me

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