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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · straw · band · cell · object · bound · press · prune

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bound — certain
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. band — a ring
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. object — to protest
  8. board — a committee
  9. press — to push
  10. band — a music group
  11. bound — tied together
  12. prune — to trim
  13. object — a thing
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. press — newspapers
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bound — obliged
  21. press — a publisher
  22. object — an aim
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. prune — to trim

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