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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. season — of the year
  12. staff — a stick
  13. drill — army training
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. season — in sport
  18. 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