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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · band · hide · wound · scale · season · lie · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lie — to recline
  4. season — in sport
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. band — a ring
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. craft — a skill
  9. season — of the year
  10. scale — in music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. craft — boats
  14. wound — an injury
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lie — an untruth

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