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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: calf · plane · root · perch · chair · hide · land · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — a leader
  8. perch — the fish
  9. land — to come down
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. root — the cause
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — ground
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. root — of a word
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stem — to come from
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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