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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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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: snap · tear · staff · foot · wake · pit · fork · file

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. file — a tool
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tear — from crying
  9. snap — to click
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pit — a hole
  17. staff — employees
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. file — a document
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pit — in a race

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