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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: cell · mug · spring · bass · spell · board · band · tube

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mug — a face
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spell — letters
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mug — to rob
  11. spell — magic
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bass — low music
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — the season
  17. board — a committee
  18. cell — in biology
  19. board — to get on
  20. spring — of water
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mug — a cup
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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