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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: coach · prune · bark · club · bear · ground · kid · key

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bear — the animal
  5. key — in music
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ground — the earth
  17. club — for golf
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. kid — to tease
  23. club — for dancing
  24. key — the most important part

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