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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · cold · prune · scale · key · chair · lean · craft

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — in music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. key — for a lock
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. key — in music
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. prune — to trim
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bore — to tire
  23. scale — size or range
  24. key — the most important part

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