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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: staff · stem · mate · wind · key · bowl · leaves · face

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mate — to breed
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. stem — to come from
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. face — to point toward
  23. key — in music
  24. wind — moving air

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