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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: mine · stock · file · stem · bore · bound · root · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. file — a tool
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stock — goods
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bound — certain
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stock — shares
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — obliged
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mine — for digging
  20. root — of a word
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. file — a document

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