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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: kid · chest · file · staff · can · wake · fork · pass

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. file — a document
  4. staff — a stick
  5. can — a tin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wake — a trail
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chest — a box
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pass — a permit
  21. can — a tin
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. file — a tool

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