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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: deal · rash · stem · last · clip · snap · coach · staff

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — for paper
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — to come from
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. last — finally
  10. deal — to handle
  11. snap — to click
  12. clip — a video
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. last — final
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. staff — a stick

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