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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: court · prune · cap · pop · band · bank · craft · cabinet

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. craft — boats
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pop — music
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. band — a music group
  11. court — of law
  12. pop — soda
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bank — for money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a lid
  17. craft — a skill
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. band — a ring
  22. bank — for money
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bank — of a river

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