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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: leaves · staff · rash · swing · press · key · board · season

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — in golf
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. press — a publisher
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. board — to get on
  10. season — in sport
  11. swing — music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. press — newspapers
  14. staff — employees
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. board — a committee
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. press — to push
  22. key — for a lock
  23. season — of the year
  24. key — in music

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