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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: trunk · snap · fall · cap · prune · foot · key · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. key — for a lock
  4. snap — to click
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cap — a lid
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fall — the season
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. foot — a measure
  15. prune — to trim
  16. key — in music
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cap — of ice
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fall — to drop

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