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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: swing · prune · bay · foot · coach · mine · march · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mine — for digging
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. swing — music
  20. foot — a measure
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — a horse colour

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