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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: scale · staff · straw · chair · current · calf · coach · tear

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. scale — in music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. chair — a leader
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. current — electric
  9. tear — from crying
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. current — happening now
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. current — of water
  20. scale — size or range
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — employees
  24. calf — of the leg

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