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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: wound · bulb · fall · chair · stem · object · bear · straw

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fall — the season
  4. object — to protest
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wound — an injury
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. object — a thing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. object — an aim
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bear — the animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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