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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: file · lean · bat · staff · kid · bore

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. file — a document
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bore — to drill
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bat — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. staff — employees
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people

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