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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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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: club · nail · root · last · stick · stem · staff · wound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. last — to go on
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — of a plant
  6. last — final
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. staff — a stick
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. root — of a word
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. root — the cause
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. stem — to come from
  20. last — finally
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. staff — employees

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