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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: trunk · stand · sharp · fan · staff · hide · chest · key

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. key — in music
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. staff — employees
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. sharp — clever
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. staff — a stick
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. sharp — exactly

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