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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tube · mine · last · kick · prune · wound · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. band — a ring
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tube — the underground
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. dip — to sink
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a music group
  14. last — finally
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — a container
  18. kick — in football
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mine — for digging

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