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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: pitcher · kid · suit · rest · chair · clip · stem · mark

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a grade
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stem — to come from
  19. suit — clothes
  20. clip — a video
  21. rest — a break
  22. kid — child
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. kid — to tease

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