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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 · coach · kid · arm · staff · scale · ruler · date

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. kid — to tease
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. band — a ring
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. scale — size or range
  13. kid — child
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. scale — in music
  24. arm — a part of something

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