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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 116 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: club · chair · root · stick · wake · ruler · stand · scale

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. club — a group
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. scale — size or range
  9. root — of a word
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — in music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. root — the cause
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. club — for dancing

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