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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: cue · cap · spell · staff · bat · stem · prune · fan

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. staff — a stick
  8. stem — to come from
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. staff — employees
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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