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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: rule · straw · plane · root · chair · cell · squash · cap

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rule — a law
  5. chair — a leader
  6. root — of a word
  7. plane — a tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rule — government
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cap — a hat
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. root — the cause
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. root — 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