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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: mate · craft · stick · band · hide · present · chair · fan

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. band — a music group
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. present — the time now
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. craft — boats
  14. band — a ring
  15. mate — a partner
  16. present — a gift
  17. mate — to breed
  18. present — there
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a rubber band

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