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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: staff · pitch · stem · perch · file · lean · lie · stock

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. file — a document
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stock — goods
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitch — completely
  18. staff — employees
  19. lie — to recline
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — for a bird

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