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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: prune · board · rush · spring · kid · staff · nail · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. board — to get on
  8. staff — employees
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. staff — a stick
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. staff — employees
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. board — a committee
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — the season
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — child
  24. spring — of water

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