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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.

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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: saw · staff · wound · leaves · chair · firm · season · scale

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. firm — a company
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. scale — in music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. staff — employees
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — of the year
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. staff — a stick
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. staff — employees
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — steady
  23. season — in sport
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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