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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.

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: fan · chest · wake · staff · stand · root · straw · tube

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stand — to bear
  7. staff — employees
  8. chest — a box
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. root — the cause
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tube — a container

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