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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: lash · spring · court · plane · fall · press · board · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fall — the season
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bass — low music
  7. spring — the season
  8. press — a publisher
  9. court — of a king
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — to push
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. court — for sport
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. plane — a tool
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — of water
  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