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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: bark · bat · stand · prune · court · board · spring · deal

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bat — the animal
  5. court — of law
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. prune — to trim
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. court — of a king
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. prune — to trim
  15. board — to get on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. court — for sport

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