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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: prune · lash · band · pitcher · last · club · hand · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — a group
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — final
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — help
  9. last — finally
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. band — a music group
  15. hand — in cards
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. last — to go on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. band — a ring
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. prune — the fruit

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