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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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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 · drill · wind · board · trunk · bank · pitch · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bank — for money
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — a committee
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bank — for money
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bank — of a river
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. board — to get on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. drill — army training
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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