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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: band · prune · board · last · bulb · key · lean · land

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. last — to go on
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. band — a music group
  5. prune — to trim
  6. board — to get on
  7. land — to come down
  8. band — a ring
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. key — the most important part
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. board — a committee
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lean — thin

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