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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 116 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: wake · file · lash · field · swing · rush · sharp · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a tool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. staff — employees
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. swing — music
  16. file — a document
  17. field — farmland
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. swing — to play on
  20. field — a subject
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rush — hurry
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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