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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 120 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: dip · staff · pit · prune · fork · rest · wake · spell

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — magic
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. staff — employees
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spell — a short time
  12. staff — employees
  13. spell — letters
  14. staff — a stick
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fork — in a road
  17. prune — to trim
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rest — what's left
  20. dip — to sink
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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