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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: nail · hand · band · scale · staff · stick · lie · stock

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. hand — help
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. staff — employees
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. band — a music group
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stock — goods
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. staff — a stick
  17. band — a ring
  18. staff — employees
  19. hand — in cards
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stock — shares
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lie — an untruth

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