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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 · stick · bass · fan · prune · band · stock · last

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. last — finally
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. land — a country
  8. bass — low music
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. last — to go on
  13. band — a ring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a music group
  16. last — final
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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