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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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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: cell · wound · straw · bay · key · bank · roll · prune

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. key — in music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bank — for money
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wound — an injury
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — a phone
  18. key — the most important part
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. roll — a list
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cell — in biology
  23. key — for a lock
  24. roll — a cake

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