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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · tube · spring · scale · spell · chair · lean · staff

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lean — to bend
  3. object — an aim
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. spell — letters
  6. staff — employees
  7. scale — size or range
  8. object — to protest
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. object — a thing
  13. scale — in music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. staff — employees
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. spring — of water
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lean — thin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. tube — a container
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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