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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · foot · prune · press · staff · march · bank · date

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. date — the fruit
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — to push
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — to trim
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bank — of a river
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bank — for money
  18. press — a publisher
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. staff — a stick
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. date — on the calendar

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