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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: fork · perch · staff · chair · key · row · band · wake

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. staff — employees
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. key — in music
  15. fork — in a road
  16. band — a music group
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — to paddle
  19. band — a ring
  20. row — a line
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — the fish

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