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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 120 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: bass · press · chair · calf · lash · fan · staff · chest

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. press — to push
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. press — newspapers
  12. chest — of your body
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bass — low music

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