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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · object · deal · rash · march · prune · roll · racket

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — the month
  10. board — a committee
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. object — to protest
  14. deal — to handle
  15. board — to get on
  16. roll — a list
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. march — music
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. roll — a cake

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