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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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468
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 · mate · hand · stem · spring · file · ball · present

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. present — there
  3. file — a document
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. present — a gift
  6. mate — a partner
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mate — to breed
  9. spring — the season
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ball — a great time
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — help
  18. present — the time now
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spring — of water

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