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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · object · spring · rest · club · staff · mine

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rest — what's left
  3. object — an aim
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — a group
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. file — a tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. object — a thing
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. staff — a stick
  13. club — for dancing
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — the season
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mine — for digging
  18. club — for golf
  19. rest — a break
  20. cold — not warm
  21. file — a document
  22. object — to protest
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — a coil

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