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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: prune · wind · spring · track · present · key · safe · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. present — the time now
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. track — a path
  8. key — for a lock
  9. track — a song
  10. present — there
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. key — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spring — of water
  21. track — to keep track
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. present — a gift

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