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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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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: bowl · fork · deal · prune · kick · key · bank · rash

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. key — the most important part
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bank — for money
  8. fork — in a road
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kick — in football
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bank — for money
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rash — hasty
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. key — in music

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