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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: firm · saw · chest · staff · fall · fork

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. 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. fall — the season
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — the tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chest — a box
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. staff — a stick
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chest — of your body
  18. 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