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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: staff · nail · can · press · chair · net · lean · ruler

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — to push
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. net — after costs
  12. can — a tin
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chair — a leader
  15. net — for catching
  16. staff — employees
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. can — a tin
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lean — thin
  23. net — in sport
  24. can — to be able to

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