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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: stem · season · roll · stock · file · cue · staff · coach

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. staff — a stick
  3. roll — a cake
  4. stem — to come from
  5. season — of the year
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stock — shares
  10. file — a document
  11. season — in sport
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. staff — employees
  17. roll — a list
  18. staff — employees
  19. cue — a signal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. file — a tool
  24. stock — goods

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