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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · wound · pitch · spell · prune · board · deal · spring

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. board — a committee
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. deal — to handle
  15. spring — the season
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. board — to get on
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spell — letters
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wound — an injury
  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