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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 116 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: cold · staff · plane · band · cue · kick · mug · mine

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. plane — a tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cue — a hint
  6. band — a music group
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mug — to rob
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cue — a signal
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mug — a face
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. kick — in football
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mine — for digging
  23. band — a ring
  24. staff — employees

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