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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: rash · file · bore · staff · cap · perch · stick · wound

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — of ice
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wound — an injury
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rash — hasty
  17. file — a tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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