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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: hand · band · squash · scale · spell · board · chair · staff

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. board — to get on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hand — help
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. scale — in music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spell — letters
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. board — a committee
  14. staff — employees
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. chair — a leader
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. hand — in cards
  21. staff — a stick
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. band — a rubber band

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