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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.

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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: rest · wound · track · prune · snap · pass · fork · key

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. key — in music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pass — a permit
  7. track — to keep track
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a song
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. key — the most important part
  14. track — a path
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wound — an injury

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