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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: lean · staff · roll · mate · field · toast · press · rest

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. field — for sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. staff — employees
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lean — thin
  15. roll — a list
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. field — farmland
  18. toast — bread
  19. mate — a partner
  20. field — a subject
  21. staff — employees
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mate — to breed

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