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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: stick · drill · fan · mate · wound · bear · straw · key

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. drill — the tool
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mate — a friend
  19. drill — a practice
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. drill — army training
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bear — to put up with

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