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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: tube · board · object · plane · lash · court · file · spring

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. board — to get on
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — of a king
  5. file — a document
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tube — a container
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. file — a tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. object — to protest
  14. board — a committee
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. plane — a tool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. file — a line of people
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. object — a thing
  24. court — for sport

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