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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.

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 · bay · land · band · wake · lie · face · bore

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. face — to confront
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — to come down
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a music group
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — a country
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bore — to tire
  21. face — part of the head
  22. staff — a stick
  23. land — ground
  24. staff — employees

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