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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: band · prune · wake · pass · scale · bank · chest · can

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. band — a music group
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chest — a box
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bank — for money
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — a tin
  18. scale — size or range
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. scale — in music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. band — a ring

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