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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: roll · cell · saw · prune · spring · firm · board · game

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — the tool
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. board — a committee
  10. cell — a phone
  11. game — a match
  12. cell — in biology
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. spring — of water
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — a cake
  20. spring — the season
  21. prune — to trim
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. board — to get on
  24. game — wild animals

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