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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: chair · drill · ball · prune · cell · staff · root · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. prune — to trim
  3. drill — army training
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. firm — decided
  6. cell — a phone
  7. firm — a company
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — a practice
  11. staff — employees
  12. drill — the tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ball — a dance
  16. root — the cause
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. staff — a stick
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. root — of a word
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. ball — a round shape

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