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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. object — a thing
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. staff — a stick
  7. object — an aim
  8. kid — child
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. staff — employees
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. file — a tool
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. object — to protest
  19. bank — for money
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bank — of a river
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bank — for money

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