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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: root · rule · stand · stem · chair · capital · saw · board

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rule — government
  4. root — of a word
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. root — of a plant
  10. board — to get on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. board — a committee
  14. rule — a law
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stem — to come from
  21. root — the cause
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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