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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: leaves · mine · wake · rock · band · can · foot · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. can — to be able to
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rock — music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. foot — a measure
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. rock — a stone

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