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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: spring · prune · mate · lash · pitch · bank · root · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spring — the season
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — of water
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bank — for money
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mate — a partner
  17. board — a committee
  18. prune — to trim
  19. root — of a word
  20. bank — of a river
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mate — a friend
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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