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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: squash · band · clip · firm · board · staff · bear · current

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. board — a committee
  3. clip — a video
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a ring
  8. current — of water
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. clip — to cut
  15. firm — decided
  16. squash — to crush
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a music group
  19. firm — steady
  20. staff — a stick
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. firm — a company

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