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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · plane · chest · patient · chair · fall · stem · bulb

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pop — to visit
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — to come from
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. chest — a box
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fall — the season
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fall — to drop

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