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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: prune · key · hide · drill · bear · cabinet · deal · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bear — the animal
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. key — the most important part
  19. drill — army training
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. drill — the tool
  24. prune — the fruit

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