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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.

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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: object · file · degree · pop · chip · sharp · spring · craft

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. file — a document
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pop — soda
  7. object — an aim
  8. craft — boats
  9. chip — for betting
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pop — music
  12. craft — a skill
  13. degree — an amount
  14. object — a thing
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — of water
  19. degree — from a university
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pop — to visit
  22. object — to protest
  23. file — a tool
  24. craft — a handicraft

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