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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: stick · race · staff · band · spring · arm · face · rush

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. face — to point toward
  11. race — a contest
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. race — humankind
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a ring
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. race — the arms race
  24. spring — a coil

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