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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. key — in music
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a match
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — a division
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stand — to bear
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — of a bank

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