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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: hide · stem · chair · sharp · row · race · stick · hand

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hand — help
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hand — in cards
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. row — to paddle
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. row — a line
  23. sharp — clever
  24. race — humankind

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