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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: drill · toast · prune · chair · saw · arm · root · staff

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chair — a leader
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. drill — army training
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. toast — bread
  8. drill — a practice
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — the cause
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. root — of a word
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. staff — a stick
  18. drill — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. root — of a plant

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