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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
468
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: object · season · bark · board · drill · press · spring · mine

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. object — a thing
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. board — to get on
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. press — a publisher
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. object — an aim
  12. drill — army training
  13. season — of the year
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. drill — the tool
  16. press — to push
  17. bark — to shout
  18. board — a committee
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. drill — a practice
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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