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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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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: field · drill · band · stem · object · chair · dip · rule

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rule — a law
  5. object — an aim
  6. chair — a leader
  7. dip — to sink
  8. drill — army training
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. object — a thing
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rule — government
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. object — to protest
  22. band — a music group
  23. field — for sport
  24. band — a ring

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