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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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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 · squash · band · wound · sharp · bear · ball · club

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ball — a great time
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. club — a group
  9. wound — an injury
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. club — for dancing
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. club — for golf
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bear — the animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — to crush

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