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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 120 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: calf · cell · board · scale · band · prune · kid · club

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cell — a phone
  7. board — to get on
  8. club — a group
  9. band — a music group
  10. scale — in music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. club — for dancing
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. club — for golf
  16. kid — child
  17. cell — in biology
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. board — a committee
  21. kid — to tease
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a ring
  24. calf — a young animal

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