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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 · band · mouse · file · toast · branch · roll · capital

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. branch — a division
  8. file — a document
  9. band — a ring
  10. toast — bread
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. file — a line of people
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. file — a tool
  17. band — a music group
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. roll — a list
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. capital — a city

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