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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 · pound · cue · pitcher · bulb · bear · fan · prune

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bear — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. band — a music group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bear — the animal

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