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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 · mine · toast · cell · suit · swing · bore · staff

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. toast — bread
  3. cell — in biology
  4. suit — to fit
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. band — a music group
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. staff — a stick
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. swing — music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mine — for digging
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. staff — employees
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cell — a phone
  23. suit — in cards
  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