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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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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 · arm · wake · cabinet · toast · staff · squash · pound

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. staff — a stick
  5. toast — bread
  6. squash — the sport
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. staff — employees
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. file — a tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. squash — the vegetable

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