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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · squash · lean · straw · temple · branch · safe · cabinet

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — the sport
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cold — an illness
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lean — thin
  9. branch — a division
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lean — to bend
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. squash — to crush
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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