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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.

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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: can · wound · temple · straw · cabinet · tear · key · row

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — a line
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — in music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tear — from crying
  21. key — the most important part
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. temple — a place of worship

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