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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 116 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: chair · cap · staff · tube · stem · prune · rash · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. tube — a container
  3. prune — to trim
  4. staff — employees
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rash — a series
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. staff — employees
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tube — the underground
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — a stick

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