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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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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 · lean · fall · game · tube · file · spring · fine

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. spring — of water
  3. lean — thin
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. fine — high quality
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. file — a document
  15. spring — the season
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fall — the season
  18. fine — all right
  19. file — a tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. game — a match
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fall — to drop

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