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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: rest · last · stem · cue · trunk · file · staff · arm

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stem — to come from
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — final
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cue — a hint
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cue — for pool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. file — a document
  15. last — to go on
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. last — finally
  20. cue — a signal
  21. file — a tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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