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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: cue · bass · prune · last · key · band · leaves · calf

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. band — a music group
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cue — for pool
  6. last — to go on
  7. key — the most important part
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — low music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cue — a hint
  17. last — finally
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. last — final
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bass — the fish
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. band — a ring

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