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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: last · staff · rock · stem · lie · board · mine · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. board — a committee
  5. last — final
  6. staff — employees
  7. rock — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — the fruit
  14. board — to get on
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lie — to recline
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rock — a stone
  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