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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: wind · field · spring · board · sharp · pound · press · trunk

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. spring — of water
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. board — to get on
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wind — moving air
  7. field — a subject
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spring — a coil
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. field — farmland
  15. board — a committee
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spring — the season
  19. field — for sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wind — moving air
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. sharp — with an edge

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