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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: prune · toast · wind · board · perch · row · straw · snap

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. row — to paddle
  4. toast — bread
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. board — a committee
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — a line
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wind — moving air
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. snap — to click
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. prune — to trim

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