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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: band · toast · lie · wound · saw · staff · capital · arm

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. band — a music group
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. staff — employees
  10. capital — a city
  11. staff — employees
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lie — to recline
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. staff — a stick
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — bread
  24. arm — part of the body

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