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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.

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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: lash · field · bank · lie · staff · file · straw · race

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — a subject
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bank — of a river
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. race — humankind
  17. file — a tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bank — for money
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bank — for money

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