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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tube — a container
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bass — low music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. key — in music
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fork — in a road
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bass — the fish
  19. key — for a lock
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tear — to rip
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. tube — the underground

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