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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: land · band · tear · bay · rock · ball · prune · dip

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. tear — to rip
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rock — music
  7. land — a country
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. land — to come down
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. prune — to trim
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — ground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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