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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: current · stem · craft · staff · cell · key · date · chest

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chest — a box
  3. staff — employees
  4. craft — boats
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chest — of your body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cell — a phone
  11. craft — a skill
  12. staff — employees
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. current — of water
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stem — to come from
  20. key — in music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chest — of your body
  24. staff — a stick

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