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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: pound · mouse · saw · calf · racket · fork · spring · file

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a document
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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