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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: stock · arm · board · pitch · land · prune · wave · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. board — a committee
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. land — a country
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — shares
  15. land — to come down
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — goods
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. arm — part of the body

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