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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.

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: spell · rest · key · staff · branch · pop · snap · band

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — a short time
  4. key — the most important part
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. key — in music
  9. band — a ring
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — a division
  12. rest — a break
  13. staff — a stick
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. snap — to click
  18. spell — letters
  19. staff — employees
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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