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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.

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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.

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: staff · tube · chair · lean · degree · stand · suit · lie

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lean — thin
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. tube — a container
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chair — a leader
  20. staff — employees
  21. stand — to bear
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. staff — a stick
  24. suit — to fit

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