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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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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 · staff · leaves · drill · race · kick · nail · cell

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. staff — employees
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. staff — employees
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. race — a contest
  9. staff — a stick
  10. kick — in football
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. drill — army training
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — humankind
  21. cell — a phone
  22. race — the arms race
  23. drill — the tool
  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