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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
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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: prune · file · trunk · sharp · staff · bowl · degree · rest

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — what's left
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a tool
  5. rest — a break
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — from a university
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. degree — an amount
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — temperature
  16. file — a document
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. file — a line of people
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. sharp — with an edge

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