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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: spell · trunk · fall · lean · chair · last · firm · cell

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. spell — a short time
  3. firm — decided
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. firm — steady
  8. fall — the season
  9. cell — in biology
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — thin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — a phone
  14. spell — letters
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. last — final
  18. spell — magic
  19. last — finally
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. firm — a company
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chair — a professorship

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