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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: last · fall · board · stem · stock · wind · chair · chip

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — goods
  8. last — finally
  9. stock — shares
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fall — the season
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. board — to get on
  17. wind — moving air
  18. board — a committee
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stem — a stem cell

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