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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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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: kick · staff · file · field · patient · rest · straw · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. staff — employees
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — a break
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. staff — a stick
  16. kick — in football
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. file — a document
  23. field — a subject
  24. staff — employees

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