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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 120 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 · saw · calf · game · ground · cell · band · stick

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. game — a match
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cell — a phone
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ground — the earth
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a music group
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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