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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: chest · leaves · track · board · kick · club · spring · tube

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. kick — in football
  4. chest — a box
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. board — to get on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. track — a path
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. track — a song
  13. chest — of your body
  14. board — a committee
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. club — for golf
  17. spring — the season
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chest — of your body
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. board — a flat piece

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