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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: key · ground · bank · prune · bulb · cell · pass · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bank — of a river
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ground — a position
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ground — the earth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cell — in biology
  22. spring — of water
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pass — to spend time

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