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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: staff · mug · prune · ruler · club · chest · lean · shower

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a face
  4. chest — a box
  5. lean — to bend
  6. club — for golf
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — to wash
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. club — a group
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lean — thin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chest — of your body
  23. shower — rain
  24. mug — a cup

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