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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.

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: staff · stem · capital · cold · sharp · stick · plane · tube

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cold — an illness
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. sharp — clever
  14. staff — employees
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. cold — not warm
  19. capital — a city
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. staff — a stick
  22. capital — money
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. sharp — exactly

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