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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 · hand · staff · lean · net · rash · date · cap

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. staff — employees
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — thin
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rash — hasty
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cap — a lid
  10. staff — employees
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rash — a series
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lean — to bend
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rash — on the skin

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