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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 120 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: ball · board · rash · snap · hand · mug · prune · coach

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mug — to rob
  5. board — to get on
  6. rash — a series
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. ball — a great time
  10. snap — to click
  11. hand — in cards
  12. board — a committee
  13. mug — a face
  14. hand — help
  15. mug — a cup
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. prune — to trim
  24. coach — a trainer

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