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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · prune · spring · key · bass · lash · track · file

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. key — the most important part
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bass — low music
  7. track — a song
  8. fork — in a road
  9. track — a path
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — to keep track
  14. spring — of water
  15. prune — to trim
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. key — in music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. file — a document

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