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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: lean · key · chip · mine · rush · date · racket · prune

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. key — in music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. date — the fruit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chip — to eat
  20. key — for a lock
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lean — thin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chip — for betting

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