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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · file · row · rash · hand · lean · stick · staff

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a tool
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — help
  8. key — in music
  9. row — a line
  10. staff — employees
  11. file — a document
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rash — hasty
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. key — for a lock
  21. file — a line of people
  22. lean — thin
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hand — in cards

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