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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 · present · staff · pitcher · sharp · tear · prune · rule

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — there
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — government
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. present — a gift
  13. sharp — clever
  14. present — the time now
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. roll — a list
  24. prune — the fruit

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