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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
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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: prune · wind · board · object · chest · can · spell · foot

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spell — letters
  4. board — a committee
  5. object — an aim
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. board — to get on
  8. object — to protest
  9. chest — of your body
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — magic
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wind — moving air
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — a box
  21. can — to be able to
  22. object — a thing
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spell — a short time

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