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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: tear · pitcher · temple · rush · cabinet · key · wound · saw

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. key — in music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tear — from crying
  22. key — for a lock
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rush — a thrill

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