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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: tube · band · prune · racket · plane · saw · net · pop

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. net — for catching
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. band — a music group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. plane — a tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pop — music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pop — soda
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tube — a container
  22. net — after costs
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — in sport

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