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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
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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: spell · band · shower · ruler · tear · pitcher · arm · staff

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. staff — employees
  5. shower — to wash
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — magic
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — rain
  19. spell — letters
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a ring
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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