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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: net · hide · prune · march · pit · wind · board · last

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — music
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. board — a committee
  8. wind — moving air
  9. last — finally
  10. board — to get on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — final
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — a hole
  16. march — the month
  17. net — in sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. net — after costs
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — for catching
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. march — the month
  24. prune — to trim

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