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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: stick · band · racket · cold · hide · bound · prune · rock

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bound — certain
  3. rock — a stone
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cold — an illness
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rock — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. band — a music group
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a ring
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cold — not warm

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