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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.

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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: hand · can · board · land · scale · kick · temple · prune

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. land — ground
  3. can — a tin
  4. land — a country
  5. kick — in football
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — to come down
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. scale — in music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. scale — size or range
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. board — a committee
  19. prune — to trim
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. temple — a place of worship

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