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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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Word bank
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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: staff · kick · date · bass · band · pound · spell · capital

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kick — in football
  3. spell — magic
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spell — a short time
  6. staff — a stick
  7. band — a ring
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spell — letters
  11. staff — employees
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. capital — a big letter

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