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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bank — for money
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. staff — a stick
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bank — for money
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stand — to bear

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