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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 · bat · staff · present · roll · wax · deal · rock

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. staff — employees
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rock — music
  7. staff — a stick
  8. present — there
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — a cake
  11. band — a ring
  12. staff — employees
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. present — the time now
  20. band — a music group
  21. wax — to grow
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. present — a gift
  24. deal — to handle

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