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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
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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: land · key · hide · cabinet · lash · bank · chair · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bank — of a river
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. land — ground
  6. key — for a lock
  7. land — to come down
  8. bank — for money
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. file — a tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. key — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. land — a country
  22. file — a document
  23. bank — for money
  24. key — the most important part

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