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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 · wind · mug · charge · key · spell · band · snap

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — in music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mug — a cup
  9. charge — electricity
  10. snap — to click
  11. wind — moving air
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spell — magic
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. spell — letters
  22. mug — to rob
  23. band — a music group
  24. key — for a lock

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