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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 120 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: lie · spell · lean · staff · chair · leaves · land · saw

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. land — ground
  4. spell — letters
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. staff — employees
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. staff — a stick
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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