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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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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: chair · mine · staff · wind · toast · tube · perch · stick

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tube — a container
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. staff — employees
  10. toast — bread
  11. staff — employees
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wind — moving air
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — the underground

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