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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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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. board — a committee
  3. band — a music group
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ground — the earth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — to get on
  15. band — a ring
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bulb — for light
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. board — a flat piece

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