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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
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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: staff · craft · ruler · chair · bore · spring

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bore — to tire
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. staff — a stick
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. craft — a skill
  9. staff — employees
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — to drill
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ruler — for measuring

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