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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: cabinet · key · tube · roll · swing · leaves · trunk · prune

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. swing — music
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. tube — the underground
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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