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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: field · mug · season · board · saw · prune · sharp · shower

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. sharp — clever
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — in sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mug — a face
  10. field — farmland
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — of the year
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — a subject
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mug — to rob
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — for sport
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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