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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 · rule · spell · bowl · board · lash · game · bark

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. board — a committee
  6. spell — magic
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. spell — letters
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rule — a law
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rule — government
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spell — a short time
  24. lash — an eyelash

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