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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: net · tube · patient · lash · spring · plane · bowl · board

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. board — a committee
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spring — of water
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. board — to get on
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — after costs
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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