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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spring — the season
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. bank — for money
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — for a lock
  12. clip — for paper
  13. spring — a coil
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spring — of water
  18. scale — size or range
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bank — of a river
  23. game — a match
  24. prune — to trim

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