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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: rush · pit · track · court · prune · mine · board · stem

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. track — a path
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rush — hurry
  7. court — of a king
  8. pit — a hole
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. track — a song
  15. stem — to come from
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. track — to keep track
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. board — to get on

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