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

Word bank: pass · content · sharp · firm · band · prune · pound · hand

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — the amount
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. pass — a permit
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. firm — decided
  12. pound — a weight
  13. content — happy
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. firm — steady
  22. band — a music group
  23. hand — help
  24. firm — a company

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