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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: staff · rash · bowl · cue · stem · prune · last · spell

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — magic
  4. rash — a series
  5. cue — for pool
  6. last — finally
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rash — hasty
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cue — a signal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — employees
  15. last — to go on
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. staff — employees
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. last — final
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cue — a hint

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