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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 · object · saw · wake · rock · patient · chair · pop

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — to protest
  3. pop — music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pop — soda
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rock — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. object — a thing
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. staff — employees
  24. wake — a trail

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