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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: firm · wake · land · straw · spring · bore · fan · chair

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. firm — a company
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spring — the season
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bore — to drill
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. firm — decided
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. land — to come down
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. land — ground
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — a country
  24. firm — steady

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