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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: board · spring · prune · suit · foot · pitch · fall · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. suit — in cards
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. board — to get on
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. board — a committee
  7. suit — clothes
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spring — the season
  12. pitch — completely
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — a coil
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. foot — a measure
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spring — of water
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. suit — to fit

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