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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: ball · band · saw · staff · shower · rash · spell · nail

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. spell — letters
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rash — a series
  14. staff — employees
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rash — hasty
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. ball — a great time
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — a short time
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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