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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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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: staff · toast · prune · mug · field · dip · rash · tube

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. tube — the underground
  4. field — farmland
  5. dip — to sink
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — to trim
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mug — a face
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. tube — a container
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. toast — bread
  20. rash — hasty
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — a subject

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