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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: wave · pit · prune · band · charge · row · cap · bound

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cap — a lid
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pit — in a race
  15. row — a line
  16. charge — in control
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. charge — a price
  19. bound — obliged
  20. row — to paddle
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — certain
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pit — a hole

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