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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: lash · stem · root · charge · stick · lean · cold · chair

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. charge — a price
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. charge — in control
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. root — the cause
  10. lean — to bend
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. root — of a word
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cold — an illness
  15. root — of a plant
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stem — to come from
  18. charge — electricity
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lean — thin
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cold — not warm

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