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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: prune · club · cabinet · sharp · key · rash · spring · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. key — in music
  3. club — a group
  4. spring — of water
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. club — for golf
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — for dancing
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. prune — to trim

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