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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.

Make a worksheet

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: land · staff · saw · chest · scale · mark · press · wind

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. staff — employees
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. land — to come down
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chest — a box
  9. press — a publisher
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. land — ground
  19. press — to push
  20. mark — a trace
  21. land — a country
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wind — moving air
  24. staff — employees

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