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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. bank — for money
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bank — of a river
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. key — in music
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. prune — to trim
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. key — for a lock
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. march — music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — the sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. squash — to crush
  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