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

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. band — a ring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a music group
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wake — a trail
  8. row — to paddle
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. row — a line
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mug — a face
  16. firm — steady
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. firm — decided
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. firm — a company
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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