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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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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: lie · fine · key · row · prune · spring · bat · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. key — for a lock
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — high quality
  10. key — the most important part
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. key — in music
  16. spring — the season
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fine — all right
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. staff — employees
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — of water
  24. staff — employees

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