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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: stand · rash · mine · straw · key · deal · tear · cabinet

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stand — to bear
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rash — a series
  18. key — the most important part
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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