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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 120 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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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 · fork · racket · deal · face · stem · lean · clip

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. clip — a video
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fork — in a road
  13. clip — to cut
  14. face — to confront
  15. staff — employees
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — for paper
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lean — thin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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