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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: track · lean · prune · last · land · squash · charge · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. land — to come down
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. land — a country
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. track — a path
  10. charge — in control
  11. squash — to crush
  12. land — ground
  13. charge — a price
  14. lean — to bend
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — to keep track
  17. squash — the sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. last — final
  21. track — a song
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. charge — electricity
  24. band — a music group

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