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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: sharp · track · ground · wave · staff · band · cap · rest

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cap — a hat
  4. staff — employees
  5. track — a song
  6. rest — a break
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a music group
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. staff — employees
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ground — the earth
  19. band — a ring
  20. ground — crushed
  21. staff — a stick
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ground — a position
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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