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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · lie · fan · wound · straw · tube · key · mate

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. key — for a lock
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mate — a partner
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. key — in music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mate — a friend
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tube — a container
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. tube — the underground

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