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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.

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: drill · file · pound · face · saw · stem · staff · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pound — a weight
  4. file — a tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fine — all right
  8. saw — the tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a line of people
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a document
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. drill — army training

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