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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. prune — to trim
  4. row — a line
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cell — a phone
  9. can — a tin
  10. row — to paddle
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — in biology
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. can — a tin
  15. snap — to click
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. can — to be able to
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a ring
  24. sharp — clever

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