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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: fall · cue · leaves · trunk · stem · kid · hand · staff

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cue — for pool
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. staff — employees
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fall — the season
  10. hand — help
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fall — to drop
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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