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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: prune · trunk · stand · field · board · rush · saw · swing

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rush — hurry
  3. board — to get on
  4. field — farmland
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. field — for sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stand — to bear
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. swing — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. swing — in golf
  24. field — a subject

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