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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: hand · rush · object · nail · foot · fall · straw · file

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. object — an aim
  3. rush — hurry
  4. file — a document
  5. object — to protest
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fall — the season
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. object — a thing
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. foot — a measure
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a tool

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