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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: pass · mug · staff · wind · lean · chest · cell · pitcher

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chest — a box
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mug — a cup
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lean — thin
  15. mug — a face
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chest — of your body
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — employees
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — moving air

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