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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
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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: band · lean · fork · chair · mug · spell · hide · stem

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — letters
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mug — to rob
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fork — in a road
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stem — to come from
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. spell — magic
  24. lean — to rest against

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