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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
468
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 · last · rule · deal · chest · staff · prune · tube

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rule — a law
  3. net — after costs
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — a container
  6. net — in sport
  7. last — final
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. staff — employees
  11. chest — a box
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — to go on
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. net — for catching
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — finally
  20. rule — government
  21. prune — to trim
  22. staff — employees
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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