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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: prune · ground · band · pit · scale · rock · rash · wake

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ground — a position
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rash — hasty
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. band — a ring
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ground — the earth
  17. scale — in music
  18. rash — a series
  19. band — a music group
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ground — crushed

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