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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 · stick · chair · root · nail · field · press · staff

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — to trim
  6. root — the cause
  7. press — newspapers
  8. field — farmland
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chair — a leader
  11. root — of a word
  12. field — for sport
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. press — to push
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. root — of a plant
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — a subject
  20. staff — a stick
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. prune — the fruit

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