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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 · hide · trunk · land · degree · roll · spring · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. spring — of water
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. land — ground
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — a coil
  16. degree — an amount
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. roll — a list
  19. board — to get on
  20. land — a country
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. spring — the season
  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