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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.

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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: saw · nail · chest · key · cabinet · bound · tear · present

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tear — from crying
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. chest — of your body
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bound — certain
  24. present — a gift

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