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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 120 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: craft · prune · net · content · mouse · last · key · fall

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fall — the season
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. last — final
  8. content — the amount
  9. key — in music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. key — for a lock
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. last — finally
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. net — in sport
  23. key — the most important part
  24. last — to go on

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