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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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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: wound · deal · temple · tear · hand · rest · object · key

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. key — in music
  6. object — a thing
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. object — an aim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rest — what's left
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. object — to protest
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rest — a break
  20. hand — help
  21. tear — from crying
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hand — in cards
  24. key — for a lock

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