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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: rest · dip · file · snap · prune · date · staff · chest

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chest — of your body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rest — what's left
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to sink
  9. staff — a stick
  10. snap — to click
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. file — a document
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. staff — employees
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rest — a break

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