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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: ruler · lean · wave · staff · chair · straw · bulb · row

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. row — to paddle
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bulb — for light
  16. staff — employees
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — thin
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — a line
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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