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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 116 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: march · mug · deal · cap · mouse · nail · file · spring

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. file — a tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spring — a coil
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. spring — of water
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. spring — the season
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. march — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mug — a face
  24. march — the month

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