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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: board · sharp · spring · mark · prune · saw · drill · lean

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. board — to get on
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. lean — thin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mark — a grade
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. sharp — clever
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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