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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: saw · hide · land · mine · object · stem · staff · prune

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. object — a thing
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. stem — to come from
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. object — an aim
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — a stick
  15. object — to protest
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. saw — the tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — to come down
  24. stem — a stem cell

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