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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: tube · root · chair · lie · club · stem · patient · content

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chair — a leader
  3. content — the amount
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stem — to come from
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. club — a group
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. root — of a word
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. club — for dancing
  22. root — of a plant
  23. club — for golf
  24. root — the cause

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