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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: wound · perch · straw · file · sharp · temple · bank · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a document
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — the fish
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. staff — employees
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. staff — a stick
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a tool
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. file — a line of people
  24. sharp — with an edge

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