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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: cell · racket · rock · rash · chair · kid · stem · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kid — child
  8. rock — a stone
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rash — a series
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stem — to come from

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