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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 116 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: drill · rest · trunk · key · face · prune · pit · dip

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — for a lock
  3. face — to point toward
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. drill — the tool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pit — a hole
  13. drill — army training
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. face — part of the head
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. key — in music
  23. face — to confront
  24. pit — in a race

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