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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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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: bank · straw · leaves · kick · chair · wind · pass · fan

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bank — for money
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bank — for money
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bank — of a river
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pass — a permit

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