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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: kid · staff · net · rest · perch · safe · prune · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. kid — to tease
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. staff — a stick
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — in sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rest — a break
  15. staff — employees
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kid — child
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. net — after costs
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — the fish
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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