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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: board · land · lean · temple · staff · chair · bass · pitcher

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. land — ground
  3. chair — a leader
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bass — low music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. board — a committee
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. staff — employees
  13. lean — to bend
  14. staff — employees
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. board — to get on
  17. land — to come down
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bass — the fish
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. staff — a stick

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