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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 120 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
468
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 · board · wave · kick · bat · nail · spring · bear

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. kick — in football
  15. spring — of water
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bat — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. board — to get on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bat — in an idiom

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