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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 · face · prune · track · drill · pop · spring · nail

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. track — a song
  3. spring — of water
  4. drill — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — a committee
  12. drill — army training
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. drill — a practice
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — to confront
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pop — to visit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — a coil
  24. board — a flat piece

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