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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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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: hide · file · drill · bound · staff · stick

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. file — a tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. drill — army training
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bound — obliged
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — certain

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