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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: sharp · date · chair · can · tube · saw · bank · staff

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bank — of a river
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tube — the underground
  7. can — a tin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. tube — a container
  11. date — the fruit
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. can — to be able to
  16. chair — a leader
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bank — for money
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. sharp — clever
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bank — for money
  23. staff — employees
  24. can — a tin

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