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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: key · can · bound · temple · drill · stick · chest · lash

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — army training
  3. chest — a box
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. can — a tin
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. can — a tin
  14. drill — a practice
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bound — obliged
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. key — in music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. key — the most important part

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