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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: fall · chair · spell · rest · toast · stem · fan · trunk

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. toast — bread
  7. fall — to drop
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rest — a break
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fall — the season
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. spell — magic
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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