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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: stem · prune · staff · leaves · lash · band · season · lie

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. band — a ring
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. staff — employees
  16. band — a music group
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lash — to lash out

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