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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: fan · nail · mouse · rash · fall · key · straw · bound

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. key — in music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bound — certain
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — hasty
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — obliged
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fall — the season
  24. bound — tied together

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