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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: net · bass · prune · chest · staff · pitcher · foot · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — in sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — after costs
  7. staff — a stick
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. prune — to trim
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chest — of your body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bass — low music
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — for catching
  24. chest — a box

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