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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: roll · staff · stem · lean · wind · field · row · squash

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. roll — a list
  4. staff — employees
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stem — to come from
  10. field — a subject
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wind — moving air
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. staff — a stick
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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