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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · chair · lean · land · capital · calf · staff · wound

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wake — a trail
  4. staff — employees
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. staff — employees
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — thin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. land — to come down
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. capital — a city
  18. land — ground
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — a country
  24. capital — money

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