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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: prune · mark · game · band · firm · cap · ball · bank

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cap — of ice
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bank — for money
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. firm — steady
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. band — a music group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. cap — a lid

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