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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: craft · band · mouse · land · prune · firm · can · squash

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. firm — decided
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. craft — a skill
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. band — a music group
  8. craft — boats
  9. firm — a company
  10. can — a tin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. firm — steady
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. can — a tin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — to trim
  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