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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
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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: rock · bulb · board · file · sharp · spring · cell · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — of water
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. board — a committee
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spring — the season
  14. rock — music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — to get on
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rock — to move gently

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