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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: prune · squash · board · bank · net · rush · patient · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. net — for catching
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. board — to get on
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. squash — to crush
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — in sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — after costs
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. squash — the vegetable

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