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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: chair · kid · band · lie · stem · root · can · rule

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lie — to recline
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. can — a tin
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. kid — child
  10. root — the cause
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rule — a law
  14. band — a ring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. kid — to tease
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rule — government
  23. root — of a word
  24. lie — an untruth

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