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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: wake · fork · march · key · band · board · lean · staff

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lean — thin
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. staff — employees
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. board — a committee
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wake — a trail
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a music group
  19. march — music
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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