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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: wave · board · squash · capital · last · band · prune · pit

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. board — to get on
  4. squash — to crush
  5. capital — a city
  6. band — a ring
  7. last — to go on
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. board — a committee
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. capital — money
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pit — in a race
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. squash — the sport

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