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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 · current · face · staff · hide · band · fork · scale

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fork — in a road
  4. current — of water
  5. hand — help
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. current — happening now
  10. band — a ring
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — to confront
  14. current — electric
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. face — part of the head
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. face — to point toward
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — in cards

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