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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: toast · degree · file · band · key · prune · pound · fan

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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. key — for a lock
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. file — a document
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a music group
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. degree — temperature
  11. toast — bread
  12. key — in music
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. file — a line of people
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. file — a tool
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. degree — from a university
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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