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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: land · stick · can · band · cap · arm · wake · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cap — a hat
  7. land — a country
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. band — a music group
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cap — a lid
  16. can — a tin
  17. band — a ring
  18. land — to come down
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — ground
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. staff — a stick

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