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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: board · fine · band · mine · prune · net · degree · rush

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — a committee
  5. prune — to trim
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. net — in sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. band — a music group
  14. net — for catching
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a ring
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — after costs
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. board — to get on

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