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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rest — a break
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. spell — letters
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — to paddle
  9. spell — a short time
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — a line
  15. spell — magic
  16. bank — for money
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — rain
  21. bank — of a river
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — hurry

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