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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · date · perch · spring · tube · game · hand · board

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. spring — a coil
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spring — of water
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hand — in cards
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tube — the underground
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spring — the season
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. game — a match
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. hand — help
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tube — a container
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. board — a committee
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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