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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.

Make a worksheet

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: staff · rest · land · court · band · temple · object · bass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — employees
  3. land — a country
  4. band — a music group
  5. object — to protest
  6. rest — a break
  7. band — a ring
  8. object — an aim
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. land — ground
  11. court — of law
  12. bass — the fish
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. land — to come down
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — of a king
  18. bass — low music
  19. staff — a stick
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. staff — employees
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. object — a thing
  24. court — for sport

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