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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: fork · stem · tube · lean · chair · wake · rule · spell

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lean — thin
  3. rule — government
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. spell — magic
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rule — a law
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. spell — letters
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chair — to sit on

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