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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: fall · cell · stem · toast · bear · chair

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — to come from
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. toast — bread
  14. cell — a phone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cell — in a prison

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