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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: board · net · spring · prune · rush · mate · wake · bound

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. net — for catching
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spring — of water
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. spring — the season
  10. board — to get on
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — a friend
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. board — a committee
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — certain
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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