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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: wind · cap · racket · nail · land · lean · staff · chair

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lean — thin
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. land — to come down
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. land — a country
  12. staff — employees
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wind — moving air
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — ground
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chair — a leader
  24. nail — on a finger

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