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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
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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: spring · bass · object · march · tube · net · board · staff

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — low music
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. net — after costs
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. net — for catching
  8. spring — a coil
  9. march — music
  10. spring — the season
  11. bass — the fish
  12. staff — employees
  13. board — a committee
  14. object — to protest
  15. net — in sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — of water
  19. staff — employees
  20. object — an aim
  21. tube — a container
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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