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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 120 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: mouse · land · dip · key · prune · rule · field · bay

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. land — ground
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rule — government
  5. field — farmland
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — for sport
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. land — a country
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. land — to come down
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rule — a law
  24. mouse — the animal

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