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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.

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: ball · pit · wind · board · prune · saw · cap · spring

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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. pit — in a race
  4. spring — the season
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spring — of water
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wind — moving air
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cap — of ice
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cap — a hat

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