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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 120 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 · straw · spell · can · mug · field · staff · safe

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mug — a face
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mug — a cup
  5. spell — magic
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. spell — a short time
  10. staff — a stick
  11. band — a ring
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — a tin
  16. spell — letters
  17. mug — to rob
  18. can — a tin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. can — to be able to
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — farmland

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