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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: shower · bowl · prune · mug · bound · band · wake · ball

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mug — a face
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. ball — a great time
  6. band — a ring
  7. shower — to wash
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. shower — rain
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wake — a trail
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mug — to rob
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bound — certain
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bowl — a dish

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