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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: craft · tear · prune · mug · fine · hand · firm · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mug — a face
  5. firm — a company
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — steady
  12. band — a music group
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fine — all right
  19. prune — to trim
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. hand — help
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. tear — to rip

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