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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
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: cell · staff · rash · wave · press · lean · pitcher · clip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — employees
  3. cell — in biology
  4. staff — employees
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. clip — a video
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lean — to bend
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rash — hasty
  20. clip — for paper
  21. press — newspapers
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lean — thin
  24. press — to push

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