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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: bore · game · stem · straw · rush · wake · staff · wound

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — to come from
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bore — to tire
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. game — a match

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