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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: club · suit · bank · field · land · prune · tube · staff

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. staff — employees
  3. suit — clothes
  4. prune — to trim
  5. staff — employees
  6. suit — in cards
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bank — for money
  11. club — for dancing
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — a country
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — to come down
  17. bank — for money
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — ground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. field — for sport

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