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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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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 · mouse · leaves · stick · perch · press · cue · hand

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — employees
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cue — a hint
  11. staff — employees
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. press — to push
  14. cue — a signal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. staff — a stick
  18. perch — the fish
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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