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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: fan · prune · shower · stem · wake · fine · key · pitch

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. shower — rain
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. key — in music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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