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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 · nail · stick · land · lash · spring · temple · mate

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — a coil
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — to come down
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. land — ground
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — a country
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mate — a friend
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mate — a partner
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spring — the season
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spring — of water

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