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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: roll · bear · race · can · prune · staff · season · chest

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. race — humankind
  3. prune — to trim
  4. roll — a list
  5. chest — of your body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. race — the arms race
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. staff — a stick
  12. prune — to trim
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — in sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — a box
  20. season — of the year
  21. can — a tin
  22. roll — a cake
  23. race — a contest
  24. can — to be able to

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