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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 120 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: bank · kid · chair · swing · staff · fan · last · bulb

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. last — final
  6. swing — music
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bank — for money
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kid — child
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. last — finally
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — to go on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bank — for money
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. staff — a stick
  24. swing — to play on

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