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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 120 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: stem · shower · chair · cue · foot · plane · rule · wind

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rule — a law
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stem — to come from
  7. foot — a measure
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. shower — rain
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rule — government
  22. cue — a signal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. plane — an aircraft

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