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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: trunk · rush · straw · fan · rash · bore · key · cabinet

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rash — a series
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. key — in music
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. straw — a straw man

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