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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: season · staff · hand · straw · object · spring · lie · temple

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. hand — help
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. season — of the year
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. object — to protest
  11. staff — a stick
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. season — in sport
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — the season
  17. lie — to recline
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. staff — employees
  20. object — a thing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — of water
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lie — an untruth

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