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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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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 · key · stem · net · calf · pop · trunk · can

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — in sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. key — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — the most important part
  8. prune — to trim
  9. can — a tin
  10. pop — soda
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stem — to come from
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. key — for a lock
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. can — a tin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pop — music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — after costs
  24. trunk — of a car

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