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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: mouse · face · band · bank · hand · game · bore · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. hand — in cards
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hand — help
  7. face — to point toward
  8. game — a match
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. band — a ring
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. face — to confront
  16. bank — for money
  17. staff — employees
  18. bore — to tire
  19. game — wild animals
  20. face — part of the head
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bank — for money
  24. band — a music group

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