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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.

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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: land · board · bowl · fork · straw · prune · track · mate

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — in a road
  8. land — a country
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. track — a path
  12. mate — a partner
  13. land — ground
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. track — to keep track
  17. land — to come down
  18. track — a song
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. board — to get on
  24. mate — a friend

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