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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: staff · hide · temple · fan · wound · bay · file · clip

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. file — a document
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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