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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: board · net · staff · spring · saw · pitch · root · rush

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. spring — the season
  3. staff — a stick
  4. net — in sport
  5. root — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. net — after costs
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spring — of water
  14. saw — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. net — for catching
  23. board — to get on
  24. rush — to hurry

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