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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: stick · present · key · chair · stem · spell · kick · lean

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stem — to come from
  7. present — a gift
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. present — there
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. key — for a lock
  23. present — the time now
  24. kick — in football

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