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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: land · prune · roll · board · mouse · stand · straw · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. roll — a list
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. board — a committee
  8. land — ground
  9. stand — to bear
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. land — to come down
  13. board — to get on
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. land — a country
  24. straw — a straw man

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