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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: scale · object · wave · saw · lean · bat · stem · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. scale — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. object — a thing
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. object — an aim
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. object — to protest
  18. staff — employees
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stem — to come from
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stem — of a plant

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