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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: ruler · cue · band · nail · game · prune · squash · chair

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chair — a leader
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. squash — to crush
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cue — for pool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. prune — to trim
  17. game — a match
  18. cue — a signal
  19. band — a music group
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  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