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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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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: board · content · ball · bowl · bank · spring · perch · net

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a dance
  5. net — after costs
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — for catching
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. content — happy
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bank — of a river
  15. content — the amount
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. net — in sport
  18. board — a committee
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spring — the season
  23. ball — a great time
  24. content — videos and posts

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