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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: club · prune · staff · trunk · key · current · lean · march

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — for a lock
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — happening now
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. current — of water
  9. key — in music
  10. lean — thin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. key — the most important part
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. staff — employees
  19. club — a group
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. club — for dancing
  22. staff — a stick
  23. current — electric
  24. lean — to bend

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