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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: toast · staff · prune · field · pit · pop · spell · plane

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. prune — to trim
  5. plane — a tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — letters
  8. pit — a hole
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pit — in a race
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. field — for sport
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spell — magic
  22. pop — to visit
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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