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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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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: rock · prune · land · kid · bear · staff · race · chest

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rock — a stone
  3. staff — employees
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rock — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. land — a country
  10. race — a contest
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. chest — of your body
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kid — child
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. race — humankind

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