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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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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: pop · coach · cell · wake · prune · key · fall · temple

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pop — music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — the most important part
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pop — to visit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. key — in music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fall — the season
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pop — soda

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