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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · lean · spell · file · band · staff · pass · temple

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a music group
  6. staff — employees
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. spell — a short time
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. file — a line of people
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — magic
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. file — a tool
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. perch — the fish
  23. file — a document
  24. band — a ring

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