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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 116 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: deal · face · pitcher · pass · trunk · staff · band · land

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. land — to come down
  10. deal — to handle
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a ring
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. staff — employees
  24. pass — to succeed

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