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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.

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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: lean · cabinet · land · staff · nail · chip · wind · spell

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lean — to bend
  4. land — a country
  5. staff — employees
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. spell — letters
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. land — ground
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — magic
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — to come down
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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