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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: bound · prune · bay · rock · fork · band · racket · cold

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. bound — obliged
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rock — music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — an illness
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bound — certain
  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