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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rule — a law
  3. track — to keep track
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. foot — a measure
  6. board — a committee
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. board — to get on
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wind — moving air
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. track — a song
  21. bank — for money
  22. rule — government
  23. track — a path
  24. prune — to trim

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