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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: rest · staff · bay · last · clip · file · spring · board

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. clip — to cut
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spring — of water
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. board — a committee
  10. rest — what's left
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — a video
  14. spring — the season
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. board — to get on
  21. spring — a coil
  22. file — a line of people
  23. last — finally
  24. staff — a stick

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