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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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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: fall · last · board · mate · bank · prune · hand · court

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. board — a committee
  4. hand — help
  5. court — of a king
  6. bank — for money
  7. mate — to breed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of law
  10. bank — for money
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fall — the season
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — finally
  16. board — to get on
  17. bank — of a river
  18. last — to go on
  19. court — for sport
  20. hand — in cards
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. last — final
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — a friend

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