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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: prune · pass · pitcher · staff · rush · wind · fall · land

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. land — to come down
  11. fall — the season
  12. land — ground
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. land — a country
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. staff — employees
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitcher — a jug

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