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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: chair · lean · arm · fan · file · mouse · squash · leaves

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a document
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lean — thin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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