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

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. staff — employees
  17. stem — to come from
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. tube — a container
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pop — soda
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. hand — help

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