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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: sharp · staff · row · racket · snap · stem · drill · tube

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — a line
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — a container
  9. staff — a stick
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stem — to come from
  12. row — to paddle
  13. staff — employees
  14. drill — a practice
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tube — the underground
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. drill — army training
  23. snap — to click
  24. sharp — with an edge

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