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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: suit · board · march · rash · can · hand · prune · band

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — a committee
  3. march — music
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. can — to be able to
  7. prune — to trim
  8. suit — to fit
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. hand — help
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. board — to get on
  16. march — the month
  17. suit — clothes
  18. hand — in cards
  19. march — the month
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rash — a series
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — on the skin

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