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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 · clip · chest · can · firm · bank · last · stem

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. firm — a company
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — for money
  5. last — to go on
  6. file — a document
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. last — finally
  13. file — a tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. clip — a video
  20. firm — decided
  21. clip — to cut
  22. can — to be able to
  23. firm — steady
  24. last — final

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