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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: hand · mug · present · staff · trunk · rest · pop · fork

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. present — the time now
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. mug — a face
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mug — a cup
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hand — help
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rest — a break
  15. pop — soda
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. staff — employees
  21. pop — music
  22. present — there
  23. staff — a stick
  24. present — a gift

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