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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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Word bank
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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: rock · band · prune · rash · court · craft · club · bank

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rock — music
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bank — for money
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. court — of a king
  15. bank — of a river
  16. rash — a series
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. club — for golf
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bank — for money
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — a stone
  24. band — a music group

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