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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: game · bound · club · cabinet · mine · can · prune · rock

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. game — a match
  4. club — for golf
  5. bound — certain
  6. club — for dancing
  7. can — a tin
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. can — a tin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rock — music
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. club — a group
  24. game — wild animals

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