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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · chair · cue · mine · tube · staff · bank · game

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — for digging
  4. tube — a container
  5. bank — of a river
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cue — for pool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. staff — employees
  11. bank — for money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cue — a hint
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tube — the underground
  18. game — a match
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. staff — employees

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