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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: band · pass · cell · wound · bank · rash · racket · prune

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. band — a ring
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bank — of a river
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. prune — the fruit

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