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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: chair · staff · press · rash · plane · bound · calf · band

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. plane — a tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — certain
  6. staff — employees
  7. press — to push
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. band — a ring
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. band — a music group
  22. chair — a leader
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bound — tied together

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