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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. band — a music group
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. row — to paddle
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. row — a line
  11. net — for catching
  12. race — the arms race
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. band — a ring
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — humankind
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chair — a leader
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. race — a contest
  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