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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: prune · lie · rash · band · stand · board · lean · row

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — thin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rash — a series
  6. prune — to trim
  7. band — a music group
  8. stand — to bear
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — a line
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lie — to recline
  13. board — a committee
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. board — to get on
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rash — hasty
  23. row — to paddle
  24. lie — an untruth

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