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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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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 · rock · race · chair · rest · bulb · march · staff

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rest — what's left
  3. staff — a stick
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — a break
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. race — humankind
  8. rock — a stone
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — for light
  11. race — a contest
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rock — music
  16. staff — employees
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bulb — for light
  19. race — the arms race
  20. prune — to trim
  21. march — music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. prune — to trim

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