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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: band · can · wound · prune · wax · rush · bound · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. can — to be able to
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — certain
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. band — a ring
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. band — a music group
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. band — a rubber band

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