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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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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 · suit · wake · tube · season · spring · ball · row

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. board — a committee
  4. season — in sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wake — a trail
  10. spring — of water
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spring — a coil
  14. tube — a container
  15. suit — in cards
  16. spring — the season
  17. suit — clothes
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — a line
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. board — to get on
  23. ball — a dance
  24. suit — to fit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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