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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: ball · leaves · lean · club · staff · file · band · mug

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lean — thin
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. file — a document
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. ball — a dance
  10. club — for golf
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. lean — to bend
  13. band — a ring
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — a group
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a music group
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. file — a line of people
  21. club — for dancing
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. staff — employees

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