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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 120 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: spring · foot · coach · swing · dip · current · degree · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. spring — a coil
  4. board — to get on
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. current — happening now
  7. foot — a measure
  8. swing — in golf
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — of water
  11. degree — an amount
  12. swing — to play on
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. swing — music
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — electric
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. degree — from a university
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spring — of water
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. dip — to sink

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