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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 120 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: prune · key · foot · kid · pop · temple · wound · cap

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pop — soda
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kid — child
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. key — in music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pop — music
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — a hat

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