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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: bank · stock · drill · prune · lean · date · staff · tube

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. staff — employees
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tube — a container
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stock — goods
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — army training
  17. tube — the underground
  18. drill — a practice
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bank — of a river
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lean — to bend
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bank — for money

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