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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: land · wake · chair · bulb · arm · tear · stem · bowl

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. land — to come down
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. land — ground
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tear — to rip
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. arm — a part of something
  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