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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: fine · game · bulb · prune · band · race · straw · roll

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fine — high quality
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. band — a music group
  6. race — humankind
  7. prune — to trim
  8. roll — a cake
  9. game — a match
  10. race — a contest
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. prune — to trim
  15. roll — a list
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. band — a ring
  24. fine — all right

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