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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.

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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: rest · wound · spell · land · dip · staff · band · rock

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. land — to come down
  3. staff — employees
  4. spell — letters
  5. dip — to sink
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — a short time
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. land — ground
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spell — magic
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — a country
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rest — a break
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a music group
  24. rock — music

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