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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: saw · sharp · squash · bass · board · band · staff · wound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. squash — to crush
  5. staff — employees
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. band — a music group
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wound — an injury
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — to get on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wound — an injury
  20. board — a committee
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. board — a flat piece

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