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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: staff · file · march · rock · arm · stem

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. rock — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. file — a line of people
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a document
  8. march — the month
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — employees
  12. file — a tool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stem — of a plant

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