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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: present · staff · prune · bat · race · nail · lean · trunk

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. present — the time now
  6. lean — to bend
  7. present — a gift
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. race — humankind
  11. staff — a stick
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. present — there
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — the arms race
  18. lean — thin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — a contest
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — of a tree

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