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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: firm · tear · pound · ground · file · wake · staff · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. file — a document
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. firm — steady
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. file — a line of people
  11. staff — employees
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ground — crushed
  16. file — a tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wake — a trail
  19. firm — a company
  20. tear — from crying
  21. staff — a stick
  22. firm — decided
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — a weight

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