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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: fan · object · kick · game · mine · mark · stem · staff

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. object — to protest
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. kick — in football
  11. game — a match
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — wild animals
  15. staff — employees
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. staff — a stick
  21. object — a thing
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mine — belonging to me

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