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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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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: club · court · tear · staff · date · lean · lash · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — for golf
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — for sport
  6. file — a line of people
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — employees
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. staff — a stick
  13. club — a group
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — thin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. court — of a king
  19. file — a tool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tear — to rip
  23. court — of law
  24. club — for dancing

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