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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 120 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 · pass · mouse · field · tear · chip · row · band

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pass — a permit
  3. band — a ring
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — to rip
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. row — a line
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chip — for betting
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a music group
  23. staff — employees
  24. tear — from crying

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