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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: staff · club · field · lean · file · stand · safe · sharp

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — farmland
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. club — a group
  6. staff — employees
  7. stand — to bear
  8. file — a document
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. file — a tool
  11. staff — a stick
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lean — thin
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. field — a subject
  18. file — a line of people
  19. club — for dancing
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. sharp — clever
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. field — for sport
  24. club — for golf

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