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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: row · root · tube · stem · chair · land · kick · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. land — to come down
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. chair — a leader
  7. land — a country
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. root — of a plant
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — ground
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. root — the cause
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. row — a line
  22. kick — in football
  23. stem — to come from
  24. craft — boats

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