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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: staff · bat · rock · stand · band · last · chip · wake

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chip — for betting
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. last — finally
  6. wake — a trail
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stand — to bear
  10. band — a music group
  11. staff — employees
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chip — to eat
  19. last — to go on
  20. band — a ring
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rock — music
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rock — a stone

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