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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 120 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
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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: hand · land · stick · chair · press · trunk · lie · staff

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. land — a country
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. hand — help
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — a leader
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. land — to come down
  18. hand — in cards
  19. land — ground
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. staff — a stick
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. press — to push

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