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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. board — a committee
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. snap — to click
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. pitch — completely
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fork — in a road
  24. prune — the fruit

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