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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 116 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 · stem · hand · pop · fan · cell · pitcher · bark

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pop — soda
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pop — music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cell — in biology

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