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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — for digging
  4. tear — to rip
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — from crying
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. band — a music group
  23. content — videos and posts
  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