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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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. land — a country
  4. board — to get on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bank — for money
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — a committee
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bank — of a river
  13. band — a ring
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bank — for money
  20. land — ground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. land — to come down

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