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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 116 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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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: last · rule · hide · stand · stem · land · chair · pitch

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stem — to come from
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rule — government
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rule — a law
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. land — ground
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. land — to come down
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — to go on
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. land — a country
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pitch — a sports field

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