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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · prune · band · board · tear · dip

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pit — in a race
  3. band — a music group
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. dip — to sink
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. board — to get on
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — to rip
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a ring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. board — a committee
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — a sauce

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