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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. scale — in music
  3. mate — a partner
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — size or range
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. hand — in cards
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. foot — a measure
  16. row — a line
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mate — to breed
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — the most important part
  22. row — to paddle
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mate — a friend

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