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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · file · club · bound · squash · fall · band · staff

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bound — tied together
  5. staff — a stick
  6. club — for golf
  7. fall — the season
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a ring
  15. bound — obliged
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bound — certain
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. file — a document
  23. club — a group
  24. cue — for pool

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