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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: foot · staff · stem · clip · bank · firm · cold · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bank — of a river
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stem — to come from
  9. foot — a measure
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — magic
  12. firm — decided
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spell — letters
  16. bank — for money
  17. staff — employees
  18. clip — a video
  19. firm — steady
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bank — for money
  22. staff — employees
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. firm — a company

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