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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.

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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: wave · chair · staff · straw · wake · ruler · foot · fork

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chair — a leader
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. staff — employees
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wake — a trail
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. foot — a measure

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