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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bank — for money
  3. tube — a container
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. tube — the underground
  8. track — a path
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. track — to keep track
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. key — in music
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fork — in a road
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. track — a song
  20. bank — of a river
  21. kid — child
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bank — for money

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