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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: drill · chest · degree · rule · leaves · prune · key · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. key — in music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. staff — a stick
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rule — a law
  11. drill — army training
  12. staff — employees
  13. degree — from a university
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — an amount
  16. chest — of your body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chest — a box
  19. rule — government
  20. degree — temperature
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. key — for a lock
  23. prune — to trim
  24. leaves — lets stay

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