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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: bulb · tube · prune · hand · firm · bark · mug · band

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. firm — a company
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mug — a face
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. firm — steady
  14. bark — to shout
  15. firm — decided
  16. band — a music group
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tube — a container
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — help

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