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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 116 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. band — a ring
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wake — a trail
  8. root — of a word
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — in music
  12. ball — a great time
  13. key — in music
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — the earth
  17. root — the cause
  18. prune — to trim
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ground — a position
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. band — a music group
  23. ground — crushed
  24. root — of a plant

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