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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: fork · craft · rush · coach · prune · band · mine · board

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rush — hurry
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. board — a committee
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mine — for digging
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — boats
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. band — a music group
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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