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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: season · court · staff · rest · chest · prune · lash · foot

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — employees
  3. foot — a measure
  4. season — of the year
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chest — a box
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of law
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rest — a break
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chest — of your body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. court — of a king
  16. chest — of your body
  17. season — in sport
  18. staff — a stick
  19. court — for sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — to lash out

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