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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.

Make a worksheet

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: prune · safe · date · roll · key · clip · wound · court

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wound — an injury
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. clip — a video
  9. court — for sport
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of a king
  12. clip — for paper
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. roll — a list
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. key — in music
  17. roll — a cake
  18. clip — to cut
  19. court — of law
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. date — the fruit
  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