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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: land · pitcher · last · bank · staff · lie · file · craft

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — a country
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — employees
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. staff — a stick
  12. file — a line of people
  13. staff — employees
  14. craft — boats
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. file — a tool
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. file — a document
  23. last — final
  24. bank — of a river

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