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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: present · trunk · prune · content · row · key · march · pound

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pound — a weight
  3. present — the time now
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. present — a gift
  6. key — the most important part
  7. content — happy
  8. row — a line
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. key — for a lock
  11. march — the month
  12. content — the amount
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. march — the month
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. present — there
  18. row — to paddle
  19. march — music
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. key — in music

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