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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: lean · bat · cell · club · root · chair

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. cell — a phone
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. root — the cause
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lean — to bend
  6. root — of a word
  7. club — a group
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bat — the animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. chair — to sit on
  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