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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: saw · spring · band · chest · squash · leaves · board · season

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. band — a music group
  3. board — a committee
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. squash — to crush
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. squash — the sport
  10. board — to get on
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. spring — the season
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. season — in sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — of the year
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — of water

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