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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
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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: game · bass · spring · tube · board · march · rash · firm

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rash — a series
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. firm — decided
  7. game — a match
  8. rash — hasty
  9. march — music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spring — of water
  12. firm — steady
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tube — a container
  15. firm — a company
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. board — a committee
  18. spring — the season
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. board — to get on
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — the underground

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