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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
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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: object · chair · hide · wound · land · season · bulb · staff

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. object — a thing
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. land — ground
  9. season — of the year
  10. land — to come down
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. land — a country
  14. bulb — for light
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. object — to protest
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. object — an aim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chair — a leader

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