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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 116 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 · bulb · spring · content · mate · bass · fall · scale

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. fall — the season
  3. mate — to breed
  4. scale — in music
  5. spring — of water
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fall — to drop
  10. content — the amount
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bass — the fish
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — low music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. content — happy
  18. spring — the season
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. fall — to drop
  23. scale — for weighing
  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