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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.

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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: wound · staff · straw · rock · rule · file · lash · perch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rock — music
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rock — a stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — a law

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