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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: scale · chair · hand · root · safe · stick · stem · dip

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stem — to come from
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. root — of a word
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. root — of a plant
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. scale — in music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hand — in cards
  24. root — the cause

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