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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — letters
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spell — magic
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. staff — employees
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spell — a short time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. staff — employees

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