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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 · file · object · spell · kick · land · last · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. land — a country
  3. object — to protest
  4. staff — a stick
  5. file — a document
  6. land — ground
  7. file — a tool
  8. last — final
  9. object — a thing
  10. last — finally
  11. spell — magic
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. last — to go on
  16. land — to come down
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a line of people
  20. kick — in football
  21. staff — employees
  22. object — an aim
  23. spell — letters
  24. kick — with a leg

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