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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 · squash · staff · spell · vault · season · ball · net

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. band — a music group
  4. net — in sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spell — magic
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. staff — a stick
  10. squash — the sport
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spell — a short time
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spell — letters
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. season — in sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. band — a ring
  22. staff — employees
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. season — of the year

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