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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: deal · chair · wind · suit · squash · stem

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. deal — a big deal
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wind — moving air
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. suit — clothes
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. chair — a professorship
  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