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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 · date · craft · current · fan · stem · wake · tube

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tube — a container
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tube — the underground
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chair — a leader
  16. date — the fruit
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. current — happening now
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fan — a supporter
  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