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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 116 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: pop · band · rock · ruler · prune · cell · drill · bound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pop — music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. drill — army training
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bound — certain
  24. ruler — for measuring

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