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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: tube · sharp · rash · clip · spring · staff · pound · board

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. board — to get on
  5. clip — a video
  6. rash — hasty
  7. tube — a container
  8. rash — a series
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. clip — to cut
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spring — the season
  13. sharp — clever
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tube — the underground
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spring — of water
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — a coil

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