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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: arm · craft · bound · band · prune · cap · game · can

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bound — certain
  5. game — a match
  6. bound — obliged
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — to trim
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. cap — a lid
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. craft — a skill
  17. band — a ring
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. can — to be able to
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bound — tied together

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