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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. club — a group
  6. file — a document
  7. prune — to trim
  8. file — a line of people
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. staff — employees
  11. club — for dancing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bound — tied together
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. prune — to trim
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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