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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 · land · pound · fall · game · board · plane · season

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. land — to come down
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. spring — the season
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fall — to drop
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. land — ground
  19. spring — a coil
  20. land — a country
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. fall — the season
  24. spring — of water

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