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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: straw · stick · temple · last · march · mug · nail · wake

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. march — the month
  10. last — final
  11. mug — a face
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wake — a trail
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. march — the month

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