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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: last · pound · key · trunk · temple · date · wound · prune

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wound — an injury
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. date — the fruit
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — finally
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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