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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: lash · land · stick · pound · staff · jam · file · bat

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. staff — a stick
  6. file — a line of people
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. staff — employees
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. file — a document
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. land — ground
  19. file — a tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pound — a weight

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