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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: deal · staff · wave · charge · roll · march · stick · file

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. file — a document
  5. deal — to handle
  6. file — a line of people
  7. roll — a list
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. charge — electricity
  13. roll — a cake
  14. staff — employees
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — a stick
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. file — a tool
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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