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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 120 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: lean · press · kick · bank · straw · staff · fine · file

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. press — a publisher
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lean — thin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. file — a document
  9. kick — in football
  10. lean — to bend
  11. press — newspapers
  12. file — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. press — to push
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bank — of a river
  20. fine — high quality
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fine — all right
  24. kick — with a leg

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