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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 · wake · hand · hide · bore · nail · staff · can

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hand — in cards
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — a trail
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — a tin
  9. file — a document
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a tool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. can — a tin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bore — to tire

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