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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: toast · track · mine · stem · staff · bat · current · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stem — to come from
  3. staff — employees
  4. current — happening now
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. current — of water
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. track — a path
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. track — a song
  15. current — electric
  16. mine — for digging
  17. staff — employees
  18. toast — bread
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — a stick
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bat — the animal

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