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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: perch · chair · cue · stem · board · row · straw · rush

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stem — to come from
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cue — for pool
  7. chair — a leader
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. row — to paddle
  14. perch — the fish
  15. row — a line
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cue — a hint
  19. board — a committee
  20. cue — a signal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. board — to get on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stem — a stem cell

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