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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 116 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: staff · chair · lean · season · ruler · lash · spring · kick

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chair — a leader
  4. spring — the season
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. staff — employees
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. season — of the year
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. season — in sport
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. staff — employees
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lean — thin
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. kick — in football

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