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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: jam · tube · band · club · prune · bore · net · pop

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. tube — the underground
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tube — a container
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pop — to visit
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. pop — soda
  12. net — for catching
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. club — for golf
  22. pop — music
  23. net — in sport
  24. prune — to trim

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