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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: chair · season · tear · mouse · snap · bear · staff · stick

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — of the year
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — a leader
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — in sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to click
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chair — to sit on

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