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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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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: court · branch · jam · band · charge · bore · staff · key

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. key — the most important part
  3. band — a music group
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. charge — a price
  6. staff — employees
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. band — a ring
  11. charge — in control
  12. bore — to drill
  13. key — in music
  14. court — of a king
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. key — for a lock
  18. court — for sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. court — of law
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a rubber band

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