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

Word bank: tube · bat · cell · sharp · object · coach · board · spring

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. board — to get on
  6. object — an aim
  7. board — a committee
  8. tube — the underground
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — the season
  13. object — to protest
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. sharp — clever
  18. object — a thing
  19. cell — in biology
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — a container
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bat — the animal

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