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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: bowl · fan · bound · file · cap · wax · spring · pop

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spring — the season
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pop — music
  11. file — a tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pop — soda
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. file — a document

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