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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: staff · pop · wake · fork · spell · prune · band · tube

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. staff — employees
  4. band — a music group
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pop — soda
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. pop — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. staff — employees
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pop — to visit
  20. staff — a stick
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spell — a short time
  23. band — a ring
  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