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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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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: hand · bear · cell · stick · saw · pound · staff · chair

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hand — in cards
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pound — to hit hard

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