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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.

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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: scale · patient · spring · present · board · fan · net · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. board — a committee
  3. net — after costs
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. present — the time now
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. present — there
  8. scale — in music
  9. net — for catching
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spring — of water
  12. scale — size or range
  13. spring — the season
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — in sport
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. spring — a coil
  23. present — a gift
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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