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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: temple · pitcher · present · bank · safe · key · row · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — the most important part
  3. present — the time now
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — a line
  11. key — for a lock
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — of a river
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — there
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bank — for money
  21. key — in music
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bank — for money
  24. row — to paddle

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