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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.

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: fall · can · game · cabinet · ground · staff · stick · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ground — crushed
  5. staff — employees
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — the season
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. game — a match
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — employees
  16. game — wild animals
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. can — a tin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cabinet — ministers

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