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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. land — to come down
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bulb — for light
  18. prune — to trim
  19. land — ground
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. land — a country
  24. staff — employees

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