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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: leaves · land · stick · stem · straw · staff · chest · stand

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. land — to come down
  9. stand — to bear
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. land — ground
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chest — a box
  15. staff — employees
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chest — of your body
  22. land — a country
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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