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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: staff · mug · sharp · pop · stem · leaves · wound · cell

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pop — soda
  6. staff — employees
  7. mug — a cup
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. staff — employees
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pop — music
  13. mug — a face
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. staff — a stick
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. sharp — with an edge

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