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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · key · prune · present · ground · hand

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wake — a trail
  4. present — there
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — the time now
  9. key — the most important part
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. present — a gift
  14. ground — crushed
  15. hand — help
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. key — in music

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