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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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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: chair · staff · lean · season · pit · content · wake · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — happy
  9. craft — boats
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. content — the amount
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chair — a leader
  17. season — in sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wake — a trail
  22. season — of the year
  23. lean — to bend
  24. staff — a stick

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