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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 120 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: bear · suit · hand · stem · race · chair · row · bulb

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. race — humankind
  3. row — a line
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hand — help
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bulb — for light
  10. row — to paddle
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — to come from
  14. suit — to fit
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. race — a contest

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