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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: field · sharp · prune · tube · roll · key · pitcher · bear

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. key — the most important part
  6. tube — the underground
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — a subject
  10. key — in music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. roll — a cake
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — a list
  19. bear — the animal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. key — for a lock

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