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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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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: key · cell · last · shower · chest · prune · staff · tear

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in biology
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. key — the most important part
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — rain
  10. key — in music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chest — a box
  15. last — finally
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — a phone
  18. last — to go on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. key — for a lock
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. last — final

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