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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: band · board · cold · foot · rest · trunk · rush · staff

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. band — a music group
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a committee
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. band — a ring
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cold — not warm
  12. staff — a stick
  13. board — to get on
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cold — an illness
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. rush — hurry

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