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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: staff · cap · foot · craft · straw · prune · pit · ground

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. staff — employees
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. ground — a position
  9. cap — a lid
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. staff — a stick
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — crushed
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ground — the earth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — a hat
  21. staff — employees
  22. craft — boats
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cap — of ice

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