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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: court · chest · staff · prune · fan · root · toast · current

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. current — electric
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. staff — employees
  8. court — of a king
  9. chest — a box
  10. prune — to trim
  11. court — for sport
  12. current — of water
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. toast — bread
  15. root — the cause
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. current — happening now
  18. chest — of your body
  19. root — of a word
  20. court — of law
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your body

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