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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: tear · rush · key · season · temple · charge · stock · straw

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. tear — to rip
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — goods
  6. charge — a price
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stock — shares
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rush — hurry
  11. charge — electricity
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. key — in music
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. season — of the year
  21. key — the most important part
  22. tear — from crying
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. charge — in control

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