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

Word bank: lie · rule · bore · band · cell · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a music group
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rule — government
  7. staff — a stick
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. band — a ring
  12. rule — a law
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in biology
  15. staff — employees
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rule — to rule out

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