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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: stem · march · lean · chair · pitcher · rock · wake · bat

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. march — music
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. march — the month
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rock — music
  24. lean — to rest against

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