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

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. staff — employees
  3. band — a music group
  4. staff — employees
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. staff — a stick
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lean — to bend
  14. drill — army training
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. band — a ring
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. deal — an agreement

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