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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: mark · leaves · board · club · spring · rash · pitch · prune

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. club — a group
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rash — hasty
  7. club — for golf
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitch — completely
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spring — of water
  17. mark — a trace
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spring — a coil
  24. club — for dancing

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