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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spring · calf · leaves · staff · shower · wind · jam

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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 — a stick
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — employees
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. spring — the season
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. shower — rain
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spring — of water
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — a coil
  24. shower — to wash

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