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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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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — the sport
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — to crush
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ground — the earth
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — help
  14. prune — to trim
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — crushed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. temple — a place of worship

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