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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 120 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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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: calf · pound · squash · rule · press · mate · band · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — to trim
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rule — a law
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rule — government
  13. band — a ring
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. press — a publisher
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mate — to breed
  21. band — a music group
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. pound — a weight

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