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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: bowl · board · chair · stem · date · land · cell · mate

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stem — to come from
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mate — a friend
  7. date — the fruit
  8. land — a country
  9. board — a committee
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mate — a partner
  19. board — to get on
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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