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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: present · chair · suit · craft · rock · spell · lean · tear

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. suit — in cards
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. spell — magic
  6. lean — thin
  7. present — there
  8. rock — music
  9. craft — boats
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — letters
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chair — a leader
  19. present — the time now
  20. suit — clothes
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lean — to bend
  23. present — a gift
  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