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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 · chair · press · jam · prune · foot · pass · bay

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. press — to push
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. staff — employees
  21. prune — to trim
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. staff — employees

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