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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 · stock · cue · band · leaves · season · sharp · key

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. band — a music group
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. band — a ring
  6. staff — a stick
  7. key — the most important part
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. staff — employees
  10. season — of the year
  11. stock — shares
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cue — for pool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. cue — a signal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. season — in sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. key — in music
  24. cue — a hint

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