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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.

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: file · bat · shower · key · staff · bear · band · wake

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. staff — a stick
  3. shower — rain
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. key — in music
  12. staff — employees
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. band — a music group
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. shower — to wash
  18. file — a document
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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