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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — decided
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. firm — a company
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wind — moving air
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. firm — steady
  24. band — a ring

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