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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 · firm · key · march · pit · plane · fork · trunk

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. plane — a tool
  7. march — music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. march — the month
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — a hole
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. firm — steady
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. firm — decided
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pit — in a race
  24. firm — a company

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