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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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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: cap · cell · stick · straw · mouse · wound · wake · temple

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mouse — the animal

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