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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: file · stem · bank · wake · toast · staff · rash · wound

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bank — of a river
  5. file — a document
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — to come from
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a tool
  20. toast — bread
  21. rash — a series
  22. wound — an injury
  23. staff — employees
  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