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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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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 · drill · stem · pound · rash · rest

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. drill — the tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pound — a weight
  10. drill — army training
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rest — a break
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rash — a series
  18. pound — to hit hard

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