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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · court · prune · key · root · dip · drill · mine

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. drill — the tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. root — of a word
  9. drill — army training
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. key — in music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. court — of law
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. dip — to sink
  18. band — a ring
  19. root — of a plant
  20. key — the most important part
  21. drill — a practice
  22. band — a music group
  23. root — the cause
  24. key — for a lock

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