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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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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: toast · prune · pound · band · craft · bat · stem · hide

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a music group
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pound — a weight
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. band — a ring
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. band — a rubber band

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