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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: temple · tear · pound · leaves · fan · toast · straw · pitcher

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pound — a weight
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. toast — bread
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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