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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 116 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. staff — a stick
  4. dip — to sink
  5. file — a document
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. band — a music group
  10. file — a line of people
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bank — for money
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. band — a ring
  22. bat — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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