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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · racket · leaves · stem · date · staff · lean · squash

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lean — to bend
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chest — a box
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. date — the fruit
  11. staff — a stick
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. squash — to crush
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — thin
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lean — to rest against

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