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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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Word bank
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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: stand · stem · cue · capital · season · plane · cell · chair

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chair — a leader
  5. capital — a city
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stem — to come from
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cell — a phone
  19. season — of the year
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cue — a signal
  23. capital — money
  24. season — in sport

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