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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: kick · fine · tear · key · prune · dip · trunk · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kick — in football
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. key — for a lock
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fine — high quality
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tear — from crying
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fine — all right
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. tear — to rip

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