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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: staff · stick · hide · board · lean · cell

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. staff — employees
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cell — in biology

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