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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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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: wound · fall · bound · key · tube · prune · staff · trunk

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. staff — employees
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. fall — the season
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — for a lock
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — obliged
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bound — tied together
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — a container
  24. trunk — of a tree

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