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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.

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: pit · roll · bank · court · chair · prune · spring · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — for sport
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spring — the season
  6. bank — for money
  7. spring — of water
  8. roll — a list
  9. pit — in a race
  10. court — of law
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bank — of a river
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. roll — a cake
  20. court — of a king
  21. key — in music
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bank — for money
  24. pit — a hole

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