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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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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: tear · key · temple · mouse · stick · band · toast · cell

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. band — a music group
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. band — a ring
  11. toast — bread
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tear — from crying
  14. key — for a lock
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cell — in biology
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cell — in a prison

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