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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
468
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: board · fan · spring · content · bat · fork · ground · lash

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fork — in a road
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. content — happy
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — the season
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. content — the amount
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — a position
  24. board — a committee

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