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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: hide · straw · cell · hand · temple · drill · object · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. board — a committee
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cell — in biology
  9. hand — help
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. object — a thing
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — army training
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. object — an aim
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cell — a phone
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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