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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · wound · stem · row · chair · suit · fine · hide

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fine — all right
  12. row — a line
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stem — a stem cell

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