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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: game · current · scale · spring · bass · ruler · board · present

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. scale — in music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. scale — size or range
  6. spring — the season
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. present — the time now
  12. game — a match
  13. board — a committee
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — low music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. current — happening now
  21. spring — of water
  22. present — a gift
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. present — there

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