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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: pound · bulb · deal · fan · drill · saw · bowl · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pound — a weight
  10. drill — army training
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. drill — a practice
  13. saw — the tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — the season
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. deal — to handle
  24. drill — the tool

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