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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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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: prune · key · track · rush · branch · hand · lie · last

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. track — a song
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — a path
  8. last — to go on
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — a division
  11. last — finally
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. key — in music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. last — final
  18. lie — to recline
  19. track — to keep track
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lie — an untruth

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