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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · prune · ball · mate · fall · pitcher · rash · board

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — hasty
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — the season
  14. board — to get on
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — a series
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. board — a committee
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitcher — a jug

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