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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: net · staff · mate · spell · prune · tube · board · rule

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — in sport
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. staff — employees
  5. rule — a law
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spell — magic
  8. staff — a stick
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. tube — a container
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mate — a partner
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — government
  18. board — a committee
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. net — for catching
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. net — after costs
  24. board — to get on

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