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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: rush · plane · spring · chest · board · track · present · lash

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. track — a song
  3. present — there
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. track — a path
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. board — to get on
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. board — a committee
  11. present — a gift
  12. spring — of water
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. spring — the season
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chest — a box
  21. rush — hurry
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spring — a coil

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