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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · key · clip · prune · cue · firm · land · spring

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. land — to come down
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — a country
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — for pool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spring — a coil
  12. firm — a company
  13. key — in music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. land — ground
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. firm — decided
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. spring — the season
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. clip — a video
  23. cue — a signal
  24. firm — steady

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