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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: lie · band · chest · deal · jam · net · board · prune

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chest — of your body
  3. board — to get on
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lie — to recline
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. net — after costs
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. chest — of your body
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. chest — a box
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. board — a committee
  22. deal — to handle
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. lie — an untruth

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