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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: spring · pound · wake · stem · staff · mate · kick · racket

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — of water
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. staff — employees
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — the season
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spring — a coil
  22. kick — in football
  23. staff — employees
  24. pound — to hit hard

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