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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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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: prune · cabinet · stick · pound · race · ground · band · ball

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. ground — the earth
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — a position
  17. race — a contest
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ground — crushed
  24. race — humankind

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