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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 116 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: key · row · dip · prune · craft · cabinet · band · clip

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. craft — boats
  4. key — in music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. key — for a lock
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. band — a music group
  9. row — a line
  10. clip — to cut
  11. dip — to sink
  12. row — to paddle
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — a skill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. band — a ring
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — a video

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