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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 120 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 · band · wind · saw · fork · can · chest · pop

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pop — soda
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chest — a box
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — of your body
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. band — a ring
  14. can — to be able to
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pop — music
  24. saw — the tool

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