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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · staff · tear · lean · chair · bulb · bat · deal

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. chair — a leader
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lie — to recline

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