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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: stem · hide · degree · fork · chair · saw · leaves · rash

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fork — in a road
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. degree — temperature
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rash — a series
  24. stem — of a plant

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