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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 120 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: file · mine · pound · sharp · mouse · net · cap · spring

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cap — a lid
  4. file — a tool
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. file — a document
  16. net — in sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. net — after costs
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — for catching
  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