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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: racket · wind · cap · band · staff · sharp · field · mine

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. field — for sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. band — a music group
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mine — for digging
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cap — of ice
  11. staff — employees
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — employees
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a ring
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wind — moving air
  21. field — a subject
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. field — farmland
  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