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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 116 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 · wind · last · rock · staff · bay · face · kid

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. face — to confront
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rock — music
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. last — finally
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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