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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 · rest · staff · saw · content · coach · net · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. roll — a list
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — in sport

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