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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 120 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: pitcher · bear · staff · file · last · stand · calf · stem

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. file — a tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. last — final
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — a stick
  12. stem — to come from
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. last — finally
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. file — a document
  22. staff — employees
  23. last — to go on
  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