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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: chest · stem · field · staff · mug · cue · branch · bore

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cue — for pool
  3. field — for sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. branch — a division
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chest — a box
  14. bore — to drill
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — employees
  18. cue — a hint
  19. staff — a stick
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. field — a subject
  24. stem — to come from

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