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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: prune · scale · board · object · ground · land · bank · key

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. object — to protest
  3. ground — crushed
  4. land — to come down
  5. bank — of a river
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ground — the earth
  8. board — a committee
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — a country
  11. bank — for money
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — in music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — in music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. object — an aim
  18. land — ground
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. object — a thing
  23. ground — a position
  24. scale — size or range

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