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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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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: chair · cell · file · drill · craft · stem · mug · deal

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. drill — army training
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. file — a tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. craft — boats
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mug — a face
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stem — to come from
  24. file — a document

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