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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — a stick
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hand — help
  13. staff — employees
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mine — for digging
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. band — a ring
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mark — a grade

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