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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 · spring · rock · bat · dip · wound · craft · cue

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. spring — the season
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. board — to get on
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rock — music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cue — a signal
  15. spring — of water
  16. craft — boats
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. dip — to sink
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bat — the animal
  24. spring — a coil

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