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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: kid · stem · wind · staff · stand · bark · mouse · rock

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rock — music
  20. kid — child
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rock — a stone
  23. stem — to come from
  24. staff — a stick

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