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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: rash · wake · stick · file · fall · staff · charge · foot

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — a price
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — electricity
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. charge — in control
  13. file — a tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fall — the season
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — employees
  20. foot — a measure
  21. staff — employees
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rash — hasty

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