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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.

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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: band · pitcher · rash · bank · kid · stem · prune · pit

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kid — child
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bank — for money
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a ring
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — for money
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a music group
  24. kid — to tease

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