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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: lash · lean · cell · chair · stem · file · board · chip

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chip — for betting
  4. file — a document
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. board — a committee
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. file — a tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. board — to get 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