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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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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 · last · stock · lean · stem · pit · pitch · drill

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. last — to go on
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. last — finally
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stock — shares
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — goods
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pit — a hole
  17. last — final
  18. pit — in a race
  19. drill — army training
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lean — thin
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — to come from

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