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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: key · prune · board · present · court · snap · rush · field

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. field — farmland
  3. present — a gift
  4. key — in music
  5. snap — to click
  6. board — a committee
  7. court — of a king
  8. present — there
  9. field — for sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. court — of law
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. court — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. board — to get on
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. present — the time now
  24. prune — the fruit

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