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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 116 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: pass · board · court · fan · mine · spring · tube · root

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — a coil
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tube — a container
  11. spring — of water
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. tube — the underground
  15. root — the cause
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. board — a committee
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spring — the season
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. tube — in a tire

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