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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.

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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: cue · press · stick · staff · game · current · bank · band

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bank — of a river
  3. staff — employees
  4. current — happening now
  5. press — a publisher
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. band — a music group
  9. game — a match
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. current — electric
  14. press — newspapers
  15. current — of water
  16. bank — for money
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. press — to push
  24. staff — a stick

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