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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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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: bank · band · staff · wake · straw · scale · nail · bore

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. band — a music group
  3. bank — of a river
  4. scale — in music
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — for money
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bank — for money
  19. band — a ring
  20. staff — employees
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. staff — a stick
  24. scale — size or range

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