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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 120 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: spell · stand · can · pound · band · bass · prune · wake

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wake — a trail
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — low music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stand — to bear
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. spell — letters
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spell — magic
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stand — on your feet

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