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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cue — a hint
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rest — a break
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cue — a signal
  13. band — a ring
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cue — for pool

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