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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: bass · nail · staff · trunk · press · row · spell · prune

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — magic
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. press — a publisher
  7. row — a line
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the fish
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. spell — a short time
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spell — letters
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. press — to push
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — low music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. staff — a stick
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. staff — employees

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