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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.

Words on the sheet
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: ground · bowl · pound · fan · spring · coach · pitch · file

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. file — a document
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — the season
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. coach — a trainer

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