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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: spring · sharp · pound · saw · cap · tear · tube · deal

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — a weight
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cap — of ice
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. tube — a container
  12. deal — to handle
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spring — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — of water
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. spring — a coil
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cap — a lid
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cap — a hat

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