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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: rush · racket · march · hand · prune · stem · nail · band

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. march — the month
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. band — a ring
  7. rush — hurry
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. hand — in cards
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — to trim
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. band — a music group

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