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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: spring · prune · bore · band · key · season · snap · row

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. band — a ring
  4. bore — to drill
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spring — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. row — a line
  11. spring — a coil
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. row — to paddle
  18. spring — of water
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — in music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bore — to tire
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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