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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: mark · deal · prune · field · temple · shower · pitch · key

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. shower — rain
  4. key — the most important part
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pitch — completely
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — for a lock
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. field — a subject
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. key — in music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. temple — side of the head

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