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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 120 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: stem · dip · staff · prune · swing · can · key · game

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. staff — a stick
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. stem — to come from
  11. prune — to trim
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. key — in music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. swing — to play on
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — music
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. swing — in golf
  21. can — to be able to
  22. game — wild animals
  23. can — a tin
  24. stem — of a plant

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