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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 120 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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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: bark · key · pit · staff · chip · fall · prune · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — in music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fall — the season
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a hole
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pit — in a race
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. staff — employees
  20. bark — to shout
  21. staff — employees
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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