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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: rock · deal · mate · cell · stem · chair

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle

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