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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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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: nail · jam · band · branch · rash · spell · prune · deal

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. prune — to trim
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rash — hasty
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rash — a series
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spell — magic
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. band — a music group
  17. branch — a division
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. deal — to handle
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. spell — a short time

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