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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 116 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 · band · stand · cue · field · mine · mate · fine

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cue — a signal
  8. staff — employees
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. staff — employees
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. field — for sport
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fine — all right
  20. field — a subject
  21. mine — for digging
  22. field — farmland
  23. staff — a stick
  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