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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 · wound · face · rock · object · bank · lean · band

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. face — to confront
  6. object — to protest
  7. rock — a stone
  8. object — a thing
  9. band — a ring
  10. object — an aim
  11. bank — for money
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bank — of a river
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lean — to bend
  17. staff — a stick
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bank — for money
  22. rock — music
  23. lean — thin
  24. band — a music group

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