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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · mark · safe · staff · last · rest · present · drill

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. staff — employees
  3. present — the time now
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — final
  6. drill — the tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. drill — army training
  9. rest — what's left
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. last — to go on
  12. present — there
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. present — a gift
  19. mark — a grade
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. drill — a practice
  23. staff — a stick
  24. safe — out of danger

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