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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bass — the fish
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — of water
  7. tube — the underground
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — a container
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. spell — a short time
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bound — obliged
  14. prune — to trim
  15. board — to get on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spell — magic
  18. bass — low music
  19. staff — employees
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spring — the season
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bound — certain

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