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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · mug · plane · board · mine · race · lash · band

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. race — a contest
  3. band — a ring
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. spring — of water
  8. mug — to rob
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. board — to get on
  11. plane — a tool
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mug — a cup
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mug — a face
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. spring — the season
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. board — a committee

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