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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: chest · staff · degree · toast · stand · prune · leaves · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — temperature
  7. drill — army training
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. drill — a practice
  10. degree — from a university
  11. chest — a box
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. toast — bread
  17. staff — a stick
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. leaves — 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