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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: cue · board · spring · object · row · date

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cue — a signal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. board — a committee
  10. spring — the season
  11. cue — a hint
  12. row — a line
  13. board — to get on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — to paddle
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cue — for pool

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