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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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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 · club · craft · drill · prune · degree · key · rock

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. club — for dancing
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. craft — boats
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. club — for golf
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. key — in music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lie — to recline
  20. prune — to trim
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. degree — an amount
  24. drill — army training

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