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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.

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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: stem · court · wound · board · pitcher · prune · mouse · dip

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. dip — to sink
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wound — an injury
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. board — a committee
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. board — to get on
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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