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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
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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: stem · prune · staff · last · snap · hand · pound · season

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. snap — to click
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — in cards
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — final
  7. hand — help
  8. season — in sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pound — a weight
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — to go on
  13. season — of the year
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stem — to come from
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. last — finally
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. prune — to trim

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