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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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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: bank · board · lie · cap · deal · prune · bat · stick

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cap — of ice
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bank — for money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bank — for money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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