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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: wind · mine · cue · band · bound · arm · craft · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. staff — employees
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mine — for digging
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. band — a music group
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cue — a signal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — certain
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wind — moving air
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. staff — a stick
  21. craft — boats
  22. band — a ring
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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