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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · board · pitcher · lean · roll · net · hide · saw

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. board — a committee
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. roll — a cake
  17. net — in sport
  18. roll — a list
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. board — to get on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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