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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: game · date · scale · staff · coach · hand · stem · mate

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mate — a partner
  7. game — wild animals
  8. date — the fruit
  9. hand — help
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mate — a friend
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — employees
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. staff — a stick
  17. game — a match
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. scale — size or range
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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