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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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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: stick · land · cue · prune · bat · bark · deal · key

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — the most important part
  9. land — ground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — a country
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. land — to come down
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cue — a hint
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. cue — for pool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. deal — an agreement

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