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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · ball · perch · date · mine · wound · hide · band

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. band — a music group
  9. mine — for digging
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. ball — a dance
  22. staff — a stick
  23. date — the fruit
  24. band — a ring

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