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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 · hand · club · lash · cabinet · object · leaves · kid

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. object — a thing
  4. club — for dancing
  5. hand — help
  6. file — a document
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. club — for golf
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. file — a tool
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. file — a line of people
  20. club — a group
  21. object — an aim
  22. kid — child
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. leaves — to go away

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