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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 120 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: coach · season · staff · current · cell · stem · net · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — happening now
  11. staff — employees
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — after costs
  14. file — a document
  15. current — electric
  16. season — in sport
  17. net — in sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. staff — employees
  20. current — of water
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stem — to come from

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