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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 · stem · wound · branch · cold · foot · cabinet · last

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stem — to come from
  8. last — finally
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. last — final
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. last — to go on
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — an injury
  24. branch — a division

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