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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: season · key · lie · pitcher · current · ground · staff · band

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. band — a ring
  3. staff — employees
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — crushed
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. staff — a stick
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — electric
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — in sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. key — in music
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. current — happening now
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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