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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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 · snap · trunk · game · key · prune · bear · net

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bear — the animal
  20. key — in music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. board — a flat piece

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