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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: foot · staff · sharp · saw · net · drill · stem · pitcher

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. foot — a measure
  4. net — after costs
  5. drill — army training
  6. net — for catching
  7. stem — to come from
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. net — in sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. staff — employees
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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