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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · ball · leaves · bark · wound · prune · pitch · swing

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. board — to get on
  9. ball — a great time
  10. swing — in golf
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. board — a committee
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ball — a dance
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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