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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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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: cabinet · band · foot · perch · staff · rest · club · fall

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — for dancing
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. club — for golf
  8. rest — a break
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. club — a group
  14. band — a music group
  15. staff — employees
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. staff — employees
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a ring
  22. fall — to drop
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. staff — a stick

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