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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. board — to get on
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a music group
  6. court — of law
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. roll — a cake
  9. band — a ring
  10. roll — a list
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. content — the amount
  14. prune — to trim
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. court — of a king
  17. land — ground
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. court — for sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. prune — to trim
  22. board — a committee
  23. content — happy
  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