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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 · stem · season · root · scale · bore · leaves · hand

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. hand — help
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. season — in sport
  7. root — of a plant
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bore — to tire
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. root — of a word
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. season — of the year
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bore — to drill
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stem — to come from
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stem — a stem cell

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