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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 116 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 · board · straw · lash · tube · mug · season · staff

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. file — a line of people
  4. board — to get on
  5. mug — a face
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. staff — employees
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. tube — the underground
  10. season — of the year
  11. tube — a container
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. season — in sport
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. staff — employees
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mug — a cup
  22. board — a committee
  23. staff — a stick
  24. file — a document

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