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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 120 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: prune · object · board · track · suit · band · field · saw

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. field — farmland
  3. band — a music group
  4. object — to protest
  5. board — a committee
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — to keep track
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. object — a thing
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — a song
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. field — for sport
  19. track — a path
  20. saw — the tool
  21. object — an aim
  22. suit — to fit
  23. field — a subject
  24. suit — in cards

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