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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: land · band · craft · board · sharp · prune · rush · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. board — a committee
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. sharp — clever
  8. craft — boats
  9. land — a country
  10. craft — a skill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. board — to get on
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rush — hurry
  17. land — to come down
  18. band — a ring
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. land — ground
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. band — a music group
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. prune — to trim

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