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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: calf · spring · key · prune · drill · net · march · season

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. drill — the tool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. drill — army training
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. march — music
  8. key — in music
  9. season — in sport
  10. march — the month
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — of water
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spring — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. spring — a coil
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — the month
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. net — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. key — the most important part
  24. season — of the year

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