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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · staff · lean · mate · kid · press · spell · plane

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. staff — employees
  7. lean — thin
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. kid — child
  13. spell — letters
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mate — a friend
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mate — to breed
  20. staff — a stick
  21. press — a publisher
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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