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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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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: spring · prune · board · staff · race · chip

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. board — to get on
  3. chip — for betting
  4. race — humankind
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. staff — employees
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chip — to eat
  10. board — a committee
  11. race — a contest
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. staff — a stick
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. race — the arms race
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. spring — a coil

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