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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: staff · track · stem · pitcher · kid · foot · pound · saw

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — child
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — the tool
  17. foot — a measure
  18. track — a song
  19. pound — a weight
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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