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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: last · spell · staff · chair · rash · patient · present · trunk

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. last — to go on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. last — finally
  5. spell — a short time
  6. last — final
  7. spell — magic
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. present — there
  10. staff — employees
  11. spell — letters
  12. rash — a series
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. present — a gift
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chair — a leader
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rash — hasty
  24. present — the time now

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