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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: file · fan · bear · spring · date · straw · rock · staff

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. file — a tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. spring — the season
  8. rock — a stone
  9. staff — employees
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. staff — a stick
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rock — music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. spring — a coil
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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