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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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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 · mark · stem · toast · chest · prune · key · fall

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — to drop
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chest — a box
  7. key — the most important part
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. toast — bread
  11. chest — of your body
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fall — the season
  16. key — in music
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fall — to drop
  19. staff — employees
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. key — for a lock
  22. staff — a stick
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stem — a stem cell

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