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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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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: file · leaves · bay · stem · spell · season · stock · staff

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. file — a tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — of the year
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. season — in sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. file — a line of people
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stock — goods
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. spell — magic
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. staff — employees
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spell — a short time
  22. file — a document
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spell — letters

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