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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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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 · bore · plane · arm · cell · ruler · prune · pitch

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pitch — completely
  9. board — to get on
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bore — to tire
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — in biology
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cell — a phone

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