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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 · lash · land · march · game · dip · key · saw

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. key — the most important part
  3. saw — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. dip — to sink
  7. march — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — the month
  10. land — a country
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a match
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. key — in music
  20. land — to come down
  21. key — for a lock
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. land — ground
  24. march — the month

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