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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: current · cabinet · game · spring · board · club · bass · march

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. spring — the season
  3. current — electric
  4. spring — of water
  5. board — a committee
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. game — wild animals
  9. current — of water
  10. march — music
  11. game — a match
  12. current — happening now
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — a coil
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. bass — low music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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