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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
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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: temple · current · lie · date · tube · bound · key · straw

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. date — the fruit
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bound — certain
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. key — the most important part
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bound — obliged
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. bound — tied together
  16. tube — a container
  17. current — electric
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. key — in music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. key — for a lock
  24. temple — a place of worship

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