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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: chair · stem · degree · rule · lie · bank

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bank — of a river
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rule — government
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rule — a law
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. lie — to recline

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