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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: mine · field · chip · rock · fan · hand · staff · stem

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. rock — music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rock — a stone
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chip — for betting
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mine — for digging
  21. staff — employees
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fan — a supporter

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