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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 · stem · bear · cell · stand · chair · stick · cap

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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. cell — in a prison
  4. stand — to bear
  5. land — to come down
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. land — ground
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bear — the animal
  17. land — a country
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cap — a hat

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