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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: present · file · pound · mine · snap · pitcher · craft · charge

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. charge — in control
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to click
  9. file — a tool
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. present — the time now
  12. file — a document
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. file — a line of people
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. charge — a price
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. craft — boats
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mine — for digging
  24. craft — a handicraft

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