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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: prune · staff · deal · net · roll · tube · bat · root

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. net — for catching
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. staff — a stick
  9. root — the cause
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. deal — to handle
  12. staff — employees
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  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