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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · arm · rash · mark · charge · hand · prune · bay

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. prune — to trim
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. charge — electricity
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. hand — help
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mark — a grade
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. charge — in control
  15. band — a ring
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. charge — a price
  19. rash — hasty
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rash — a series

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