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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 · snap · hand · ground · trunk · staff · stem · cabinet

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hand — help
  5. staff — employees
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. hand — in cards
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stem — to come from
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — to go away

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