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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: pitch · file · row · ground · board · degree · bank · prune

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. file — a tool
  3. row — a line
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bank — for money
  7. row — to paddle
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. file — a document
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. ground — the earth
  20. file — a line of people
  21. board — to get on
  22. bank — for money
  23. degree — temperature
  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