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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a committee
  4. key — the most important part
  5. snap — to click
  6. game — wild animals
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. prune — to trim
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. game — a match
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. board — a flat piece

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