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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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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: mine · squash · prune · band · firm · sharp · bore · pitch

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. squash — the sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. firm — decided
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mine — for digging
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. prune — to trim
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — to crush
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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