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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.

Make a worksheet

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

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

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. drill — army training
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. file — a document
  11. plane — a tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bound — certain
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — employees

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