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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lean — to bend
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — size or range
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lean — thin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — in music
  18. stem — to come from
  19. file — a tool
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. file — a line of people
  22. scale — in music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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