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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 120 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: staff · last · pit · scale · prune · mark · mug · nail

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mark — a trace
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mug — a cup
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. staff — a stick
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pit — a hole
  15. staff — employees
  16. last — final
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. prune — to trim
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. last — to go on
  23. mark — a grade
  24. nail — for a hammer

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