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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 · cabinet · file · wound · pop · plane · swing · prune

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a document
  8. pop — to visit
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. swing — in golf
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — music
  17. band — a music group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. file — a tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pop — soda
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cabinet — ministers

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