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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 · lean · wave · staff · fall · mouse · wind · band

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. staff — employees
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a music group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fall — the season
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. lean — thin
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. band — a ring

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