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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 120 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: straw · fan · march · key · saw · temple · trunk · lean

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. key — for a lock
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. key — in music
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. march — the month
  22. key — the most important part
  23. saw — the tool
  24. temple — side of the head

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