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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 · prune · trunk · track · pitcher · drill · hide · key

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — a practice
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — to keep track
  9. key — the most important part
  10. track — a song
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — the tool
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — army training
  22. key — in music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. track — a path

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