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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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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: fan · temple · prune · board · swing · bound · band · bulb

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. board — a committee
  3. swing — in golf
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — to get on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. swing — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bound — obliged
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a music group
  22. bound — certain
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. temple — side of the head

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