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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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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: chair · leaves · pass · cell · calf · dip · staff · wake

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. staff — employees
  9. wake — a trail
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pass — a permit
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cell — a phone
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pass — to spend time

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