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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: hand · bulb · racket · band · bank · roll · land · prune

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hand — help
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. band — a music group
  9. roll — a list
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — ground
  24. hand — in cards

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