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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 · pitcher · mouse · kid · pop · file · band · present

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. file — a tool
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — the season
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — child
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. file — a document
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. present — there
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — of water
  24. present — the time now

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